A Magical Love
by lavadiamond10
Summary: This is my take about what happened when Belle is dancing with her prince. Another spell that needs to be broken, an evil sorceress looking for power and an unbelievable family secret!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I don't own Beauty and the Beast. But that doesn't mean we can't wonder what happens after happily ever after.

* * *

Everybody thinks they know what happened after Belle broke the curse of the beast. You don't know the half of it. Let's begin at the end; everyone's human again and Belle is dancing with the prince, who used to be the Beast that Belle fell in love with.

As soon as they finish the dance, all the servants cheered as they embrace one another. Belle stared into her prince's blue eyes, but she realizes something; she pushes the prince away.

"Hmm? What? What's the matter?" the prince said in a concerned voice. Belle started to turn red when she was about to ask an embarrassing question.

"You've...never told me your name." Belle said. The prince chuckled, shook his head and looked at her.

"Is that what's bothering you?" The prince asked.

"Yes, of course. You knew my name, but I've been calling you 'Beast' because you never told me your name." Belle replied. The prince gave her a soft smile.

"Adam, my name's Adam." he answered. Belle was about to say something until Cogsworth came over and interrupted them.

"The son of their royal highnesses, King Henry and Queen Lydia." said Cogsworth. Adam rolled his eyes when Cogsworth said his parents names, he looked back at Belle when her face turned into a bright pink.

"So...you really _are_ a prince." Belle said in a soft voice. Adam just smiled at her and held her hands. He then said;

"Belle, I haven't been one for ten long years and if it wasn't for you-" Adam took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't be one right now." Adam finished. Belle smiled at Adam when her father, Maurice, came up behind her. Adam released her hands and turned away, he was still uncomfortable when he saw Maurice.

"Papa!" Belle said as she hugged her father.

"My dear daughter," Maurice said, "I haven't seen you this happy in so long and I haven't felt this happy for you in years.

"I can see that, papa." Belle said, she looked back at Adam, he was still uncomfortable. She couldn't blame him, since he threw her father in a dungeon when they first met. So she decided to help him out.

"Father, I would like for you to meet Adam." she said. Cogsworth once again butted in and said the same thing he told Belle.

"The son of their royal highnesses, King-"

"Cogsworth!" Adam quickly said as he turned around, "Don't you dare say it again! Once is enough!"

"Sorry sire" Cogsworth said, Adam quickly calmed down before his temper got the best of him.

"Just-don't say it again. I've been reminded enough" Adam said. Belle giggled to herself as she watched Adam talking to Cogsworth. The Beast was still inside of Adam, this was the second time seeing that. The first time was when she saw his big, ocean-blue eyes.

"Belle, don't die laughing on us" Maurice said.

"Why would I do something like that after all that has happened?" asked Belle. Maurice just looked at Belle and smiled. "Wait a minute, you're teasing me again." She quickly said. Maurice laughed when Belle realized the tease.

"I always have and always will." Maurice said, but he quickly put on a serious face. "But I would like to talk with you privately, Belle." When Belle heard that, she knew it was important. She and her father walked out of the ballroom and into a hallway. Belle thought that her father seemed concerned about something.

"Is there something wrong, papa?" Belle asked.

"No, of course not," Maurice said, "I have something to give you"

"What is it?" Belle asked.

"Close your eyes." Maurice said. Belle covered her eyes as her father pulled out a small green box from his vest. "Okay, Belle, open your eyes." Belle removed her hands from her eyes. In her father's hands, she took the little green box and opened it. Belle was so surprised, she saw a necklace with a diamond-shaped locket. The locket had a blue stone in the middle and blue stones on each side. Belle couldn't believe her eyes.

"Papa, is that-" Belle couldn't get the words out of her mouth, she was really surprised. Her father just finished off her sentence.

"Yes, your mother's sapphire-blue locket." Maurice said, "She wanted you to have it and I think you've earned it. If she were here, she would probably agree with me." Belle took the locket out of the box and held it close to her heart.

"I wish she was here." Belle softly said, Maurice understood.

"I know;" he said, "I miss her too, but she's here in our hearts." Belle was starting to cry as she looked at her mother's locket. Her father gave her a tissue to wipe her eyes.

"I think I'm going to go outside," Belle said, "I don't need Adam or anyone else wondering what's wrong with me."

"I'll go back to the ballroom," her father said, "Take as much time as you need, Belle."

Maurice walked back to the ballroom as Belle walks in the other direction. She walked downstairs, into the kitchen and out the backdoor. Belle walked around the gardens that were now back to life. She decided to remove her gold gloves so she could actually feel her mother's locket. As Belle removed her gloves, she dropped the locket and it fell to the ground. She bent down to pick the locket back up. When the locket was back in her hands, Belle saw a line on the locket. She removed the dirt from the locket and felt the line. She realized that it was a locket that can hold pictures. Belle carefully opened her mother's locket. Inside were two pictures; one was a picture of Belle's parents' wedding day. Belle didn't realize how beautiful her mother was until she saw that picture. But the other picture really touched her heart because it was a picture of when Belle was born and her mother was holding her. Her eyes were swarmed with water and tears flooded her face. She smiled at the pictures and held her mother's locket close to her heart again. As she held the locket, Belle noticed something on the back of it, she saw a dark green key on the back of the locket. She looked at the key and wondered...what does this key unlock?

* * *

_I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. Since most of this story was, at first, in script format, it's going to take a while to update the chapters and put more up. Just deal with my pace and I'll put up the rest. _


	2. Chapter 2

Back upstairs in the ballroom, Cogsworth and Lumiere were talking with Mrs. Potts and their master. No one noticed that Belle wasn't around except... Adam. He was looking all around the ballroom, but he couldn't see her.

"Master," Lumiere asked, "what's wrong?" Adam looked back at his three reliable servants.

"Noticed anyone missing?" Adam asked. Cogsworth, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts looked around the ballroom.

"He's right, Belle's gone." Cogsworth said.

"Where did she go?" Lumiere asked.

"That's what I would like to know" Adam said. He wasn't worried or concerned, but he would like to know where she was. That's when Mrs. Potts spoke up.

"Sire, I saw her with her father a few minutes ago. I'll go see if she's still with him." Mrs. Potts walked over to where Maurice was standing. He seemed a little sad when Mrs. Potts approached him.

"Maurice?" she asked, he quickly turned around to see Mrs. Potts behind him.

"Mrs. Potts, I didn't realize you were there." Maurice said.

"You seem a little sad about something." Mrs. Potts said.

"Oh, don't worry," he said, "I'm nothing of the sort. So is there something that you wanted to ask me?"

"Well," she started, "I came over to see if Belle was with you and I can see she isn't."

"No, she's outside." Maurice said, "I just gave her her mother's locket, right now, she's thinking about her mother."

"That's understandable," Mrs. Potts said. She could tell that it was a sensitive issue, "I was looking for her because the master is wondering where she is."

"Well, I was going to tell him, but he seems to be avoiding me" Maurice explained. Mrs. Potts tried to put on a reassuring smile.

"Well," she said, "considering what he did to you before when he was a beast, I wouldn't blame him."

"I don't blame him either, but if he wants to know where my daughter is, she's outside." Maurice told Mrs. Potts, She nodded her head and went to find Adam. She met up with Cogsworth and Lumiere and told them what she knew.

"Thinking about a loved one that has passed on, that's very hard to swallow." Lumiere sadly said.

"It very well is," Mrs. Potts said, "Anyway, Belle's father says she's outside. Where's the master?"

"He's outside," Cogsworth said as he pointed to the balcony, "he just went out onto the balcony; I'll go tell him." Cogsworth opened the door to the balcony and presented himself; Adam was leaning on the ledge.

"We've found her, sire." Cogsworth said, but Adam didn't move. "Master?" Cogsworth said, but Adam still didn't move. Cogsworth walked up to Adam, he noticed that his master was looking down at his hands. "Sire, I know it seems impossible, but we are free from the spell." He said, in case Adam was not believing it, but Adam still didn't look up. Cogsworth peeked around his right arm and saw a little white box in Adam's hands. Cogsworth recognized the box because he remembered that it held the queen's, Adam's mother's, rose ring.

"It would look wonderful on Belle's finger, wouldn't it Cogsworth?" Adam said, Cogsworth jumped a little when Adam finally spoke up.

"Forgive me, sire," Cogsworth said, "I didn't mean to peek."

"Don't worry about it." Adam said as he looked back at the ring, "I can't wait to see this ring on Belle's hand." Cogsworth could already see that his master wants to propose to Belle.

"Sire, are you sure you want to give Belle _that_ ring?" Cogsworth asked, Adam could sense the tone in his voice, as if Belle wasn't worthy of such a ring.

"What are you trying to say, Cogsworth?" Adam said, with a little hint of annoyance. "Are you trying to tell me that Belle wouldn't be a perfect princess?"

"No, absolutely not, sire." Cogsworth quickly tried to explain, "I'm just saying that that ring was...uh..._her_ most precious treasure." Adam quickly knew what Cogsworth was saying.

"Even when she's dead, she still scares you." Adam said with a sly smile.

"Well, besides you, sire," Cogsworth said softly, "there's no one else I fear the most. I was just trying to ask that you're going give Belle the most precious ring here?"

"I think..._she_...would understand why I am." Adam said, Cogsworth knew that the master's parents were a sensitive subject, so no one was allowed to mention their names in Adam's presence.

"Anyway, sire, in case you didn't hear me," Cogsworth said, changing the subject, "we've were told that Belle was outside on the grounds somewhere."

"I know." Adam said, Cogsworth didn't understand until Adam pointed down. Cogsworth looked over the rail and saw Belle sitting on one of the stone benches. "I wonder what might be the matter." Adam asked.

"Well sire," Cogsworth said, "Maurice told us that he gave Belle an item that belonged to her mother and...if she's like anyone, sire...including you...she's probably thinking about her own mother." Adam did understand how upsetting it is thinking about a family member that has passed away, but he didn't like seeing her so sad. So Adam just walked past Cogsworth and went downstairs to find out for himself if there was anything else bothering Belle. He went to the kitchen's backdoor and went outside. Adam saw Belle sitting on a bench next to the small river.

"I know you're there, Adam." Belle said. Adam sort of laughed and sat down next to her on the bench.

"How did you guess that?" He asked,

Belle giggled to herself and said, "You were staggering in your footsteps and, considering you've been a beast for who knows how long, you'll be staggering for a while." Adam saw the blue stone locket around Belle's neck. He knew she wasn't wearing it when she was dancing with him. He knew that was what her father gave her. Adam looked up into the bright blue sky with the shining sun. Belle saw his eyes flickering in the sun.

"Is something wrong, Adam?" Belle asked.

"No, not at all." he said, "It's just-"

"What?" Belle asked. Adam sighed as he continued to look into the blue sky.

"I've spent so long in the darkness," he explained, "I've almost forgotten how beautiful and how warm the sun really was." Belle tried to understand what Adam was telling her.

"The sun...can bring a smile to anyone's face." Belle said, it was all she could think of to say. She rested her head on Adam's shoulder. Adam gently turned his head and looked at Belle, he knew that Belle would be a far greater person to rule the lands than himself, since he was hiding for so long. He reached into his pocket and held the white box that held the ring. Adam was thinking of asking her to marry him, but he could sense that Belle was enjoying the moment of being near him. So, he let go of the box and held one of her hands.

* * *

Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Maurice could see, from the balcony, the love and happiness between Belle and Adam.

"Those two," Mrs. Potts said, "I can see a lot happening in the future."

"What I see between Belle and that prince of hers," Maurice explains, "is the same happiness I saw between Veronica and I."

"Who's Veronica?" Lumiere asked.

"Belle's mother," Maurice smiled "most beautiful woman before Belle was born."

"Sounds like she was a really important person." Mrs. Potts said.

"She was there for Belle when I wasn't able to," Maurice explained, "Belle is almost a mirror image of her mother except Veronica had hair blacker than any night sky and eyes greener than a pine forest, but before I start talking more about Veronica, I have to pay attention to Belle. Knowing her, in the morning she'll be thinking she's dreaming.

"All of us will be thinking that in the morning as well, including the master." Cogsworth said.

Everyone was happily enjoying his or her moments, especially Prince Adam and Belle, but no one could predict what would happen to them next.


	3. Chapter 3

Deep in a dark place, two pairs of eyes stared at the glowing orb as it showed an image of Belle with Prince Adam dancing. One pair eyes were red and had anger flaring while the other pair were a bright lavender and had sweet happiness.

"I can't believe it!" said the red eyed female voice.

"I think it's sweet!" said the lavender eyed female voice.

"Don't be foolish, my dear daughter of mine!" said the red eyed female voice, "It looks like we need to pay Belle and her father a little visit."

"Shouldn't we wait until we get something, like a letter, from Maurice before we do anything?" asked the lavender eyed daughter, "With something this big, he usually will tell us right away."

"You have a point about that," said the red eyed mother, "We'll wait until then, but when we arrive, act charming and sweet; we don't need any suspicious ideas from those servants."

"Yes, mother, but what are you planning to do when we get there?" asked the lavender eyed daughter. Her mother made an evil chuckle before she opened her mouth.

"You'll find out soon enough, my smart daughter." said the red eyed mother.

* * *

Back at the castle, it was night and almost everyone was asleep. Belle and Adam were having one more dance in the ballroom. As their dance was ending, Belle stumbles. Adam held her hands to help Belle keep her balance.

"Whoa, Belle, are you all right?" Adam asked.

"Yes, I guess I'm getting tired." Belle answered, "I haven't slept for two days, but who could after all that's happened?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll carry you up to your room and Claudette will put you to bed." Adam said. Belle's eyes widen, she didn't want Adam to do that for her if he didn't want to.

"Oh no, you don't have to carry me," she said, trying to walk on her own, "I can make it on my-" Belle stumbled again, almost falling to the floor. Adam caught her hand and pulls her close to him. They were face-to-face, Adam smiled and made a small chuckle.

"I think you better accept my help." Adam said. Belle knew there was no getting out of it.

"Oh, all right. I don't you'll be too pleased if I fall down the stairs" Belle said. Adam smiles at Belle as he gathers her in his arms, one arm under her back, and the other arm under her knees. They left the ballroom and went up the stairs to Belle's room.

"I must ask; who's Claudette?" Belle asked.

"You knew her as the Wardrobe that always stayed in your room." Adam answered.

"Oh, that explains a lot." Belle said. When Adam reached the top of the stairs, he sees that Belle's eyes are closed. He smiles at her and quietly walks the rest of the way. Adam sees Belle's bedroom door wide open. He peeks in; Claudette was organizing the clothes in Belle's closet. Before Adam grabbed Claudette's attention, he set Belle on her feet. He's still holding her by her waist, but Belle's feet are back on the ground.

"Hold it, Adam." Belle said as she reached out and grabbed his arm. Adam was a little surprised.

"What is it, Belle?" he asked. Belle placed her left arm on Adam's right shoulder and kissed him. They kissed deeply for ten seconds. The kiss was interrupted when Claudette came out and caught them. She chuckled to herself when she caught her master and Belle kissing.

"That's surprising to see at night." Claudette said. Adam and Belle broke apart when they heard her voice.

"Excuse us, Claudette." Belle said. Adam could hear how tired Belle was in her voice.

"Claudette, put her to bed, please. I don't want Belle to collapse." Adam explained.

"I won't collapse!" Belle said.

"Right away, sire. Wait right here, master." Claudette said as she took Belle into her room. Belle closed the door so Adam wouldn't try to peek in. Claudette removes Belle's ball gown and hangs it up in the closet. She then pulled out a nightgown and dressed Belle. With the nightgown on, Belle laid her head on the pillows and fell fast asleep. Claudette pulled the covers over her, blew out the candle, and left Belle's room. Prince Adam was waiting outside Belle's door when Claudette came out. He peeked in, making sure that Belle was sleeping. He was happy that Belle was sleeping soundly; he quietly closed the door and looked at Claudette.

"Thank you, Claudette. You may retire to bed." Adam said.

"Thank you, master. Have a good night, sire." Claudette said, she curtsied and passed Adam.

"Good night, Claudette" Adam said before she left. Adam looked at Belle's bedroom door and rests his hand on it. He didn't want to lose Belle again. But as of now, she was staying forever. Adam tore away from Belle's door and walked towards his room, the west wing. As he walked up the stairs to the west wing, he saw the things he destroyed, the fallen portraits and the smashed mirror.

* * *

When Adam opened the door, the mess that 'the beast' made laid before him, broken furniture, the broken bed and his slashed painting.

"I've got some work to do before anything else." Adam said as he closed the door. As he was locking the door, he heard a voice, a female voice.

"Well, your highness, it looks like you learned your lesson."

Adam was in fear and shock because he recognized the voice; he turned back around. There, sitting on his torn and broken bed, was the enchantress with her orange hair resting on her shoulders, her soft pink eyes staring at him and her hands resting in her lap. Adam started seeing flashbacks about when he being cursed, he leaned against the door.

"Why are you here?" Adam nervously asked.

"Relax, your highness," said the enchantress, "I'm not here to cause any trouble. I came to congratulate you for breaking my spell." Adam could sense that there was another reason why she was here.

"You're not here just to say that." Adam said. The Enchantress smiled and got up from the destroyed bed.

"You know," she said "You're right, I'm not. But as I said before, I'm not here to cause you trouble."

"Then why are you here?" Adam asked. The enchantress walked over to the dead enchanted rose. She removed the bell jar, took the rose in her hand. She twists it in her hands and brought the rose back to life. It wasn't glowing like before, but sparkles were falling out of the petals like raindrops sliding off the petals.

"The rose will never die," said the Enchantress, "no matter what you'll do to it." Adam walked over next to the Enchantress and looked at the rose.

"Why bring it back to life?" he asked.

"Think of it as a peace offering," she said, "it will do whatever you ask it."

"I'm beginning to get this feeling that I don't believe you." Adam explained.

"You don't trust me," the Enchantress said, "I understand, but I'm making your life easier from now on." The Enchantress placed the rose back under the glass bell jar. "The rose's petals will heal anything if you mix it with food. The rose will just regrow another petal when one has been removed."

"Why do all of this?" Adam asked, "There's nothing I've done besides breaking your curse."

"As I said before, think of it as a peace offering, a gift. Besides, I think you've earned it and...I don't want you to forget this experience." The Enchantress explained. Adam watched her walk out onto the balcony. She stopped, turned back around and looked at him.

"Before I go," the Enchantress said, "I must say that your room needs some tidying up." Adam was a little embarrassed when the Enchantress pointed out his _messy_ room.

"I know; I need to clean it before I do anything else." Adam said.

"No need," she said and the Enchantress snapped her fingers, "Turn around and see for yourself." Prince Adam turned around; his room was a normal bedroom. Nothing was broken or torn and everything was in one piece. No vines on his doors, no slashes on the walls and no mattings on the bed.

"Thank you" he said as he turned around, but when Adam turned around, the enchantress was gone. He smiled as he looked back at his room. Now that it was back to normal, Adam could sleep in peace for the first time. Adam removed his dress clothes and hanged them up. He pulled out a handkerchief and covered the bell jar. Then he climbed into his clean king-sized bed and fell asleep happily and peacefully for the first time in ten long years.

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_I hope that everyone is enjoying these first three chapters. If everyone is enjoying and asking me for more, I'll put up the next few chapters! _

_Once again, I don't own Beauty and the Beast_


	4. Chapter 4

In the middle of the night, Belle woke up. Her throat was really dry and she started to cough.

"I need something to drink." Belle groaned, she got up out of the bed, lit a little candle and walked towards the kitchen. As she was walking through halls and stairs, she remembers when she first came to the castle. It was forbidding and dark, no should have been living inside. To Belle, the castle was feeling much different from what she was already used to.

* * *

Belle walked inside the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She walked back into the ballroom; it was still very warm from the day's excitement. Belle stared out the window, sitting on a sofa with her glass in her hand. The moon was out full and the stars twinkled one at a time. She was in her own little world as she looked at her glass, at the sky and back. Even though the ballroom was still warm, Belle was getting warmer every minute. She started feeling a little dizzy. She brought her hand to her head, she can feel the heat raging inside. Belle knew...she was getting sick.

"Of all the times for this to happen." Belle groaned.

"What, dearie?"

Belle jumped from the sofa, she looked behind the sofa, Mrs. Potts stood there with a candle in her hand.

"Mrs. Potts, what are you doing up?" Belle asked.

"Oh, I heard a noise in the kitchen. I got up to investigate and, when I was returning back to my room, I saw you sitting there." Mrs. Potts explained.

"It was me," Belle said, "sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh, don't worry about it dear." Mrs. Potts said as she sat down next to Belle on the sofa. "But I would like to ask you why you are doing up so late in the night?"

"I went into the kitchen for some water, but now, I don't think I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon." Belle said.

"Why's that?" Mrs. Potts asked, Belle let out a big sigh before speaking.

"I've been thinking...thinking if all of this is real. I feel like I'm still dreaming." Belle explained, she felt tears starting to form.

"Well, it's happening to all of us," Mrs. Potts said, "None of us will believe any of it until after a couple of days."

"Besides," Belle said, "even if it is real, I wonder what I'm going to do." Mrs. Potts was confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Adam is a prince, isn't he?" Belle asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Potts said, "ever since our wonderful queen brought him into this world."

"Since he's a prince again," Belle softly said, "he's going to find a princess to be with. I'll leave and find someplace in this world." Mrs. Potts, even though she was tired, was shocked!

"Belle! How could you think of something like that?" Mrs. Potts said with a shock. Belle really couldn't look at her, that's when Mrs. Potts realized that Belle was worried that Adam had an arranged marriage. Mrs. Potts knew that he didn't, but she couldn't find it in her heart to talk about it. So she tried to make Belle feel better. "The master isn't going to let you leave without a very good reason. You managed to change him; no one's ever been able to do that ever since his mother passed away. You filled his heart with the most love he's ever felt."

"You really believe that?" Belle asked.

"I really do, mademoiselle." Mrs. Potts said.

"Now that I've noticed it," Belle said curiously "you've mentioned his mother, but not his father." Mrs. Potts' face dropped.

"Oh, Belle," Mrs. Potts explained, "I can't tell you anymore about the master's parents. He doesn't like to talk about them, especially his father. If I tell you about them, you'll end up asking him about them and I'll get in trouble with the master." Belle could see that it was a serious matter, but she wasn't going to push it because she knows Mrs. Potts won't tell her.

"All right, I won't ask again." Belle said. Mrs. Potts smiled and stood up.

"Come along, I'll take you back to your room." Mrs. Potts said.

"Very well." Belle said, she and Mrs. Potts walked back to Belle's room. As they were walking up the stairs, Mrs. Potts saw that Belle was struggling to pay attention where she was walking. Mrs. Potts quickly grabbed her had before she fell down the stairs.

"Belle, are you all right?" Mrs. Potts asked. Belle had to be honest.

"No, not really," she said, "I've caught a bug of some-sort." Mrs. Potts helped Belle up the rest of the stairs and continued their way.

"You must have gotten it when you were out in the rain last night." Mrs. Potts thought.

"I hope I'll be better by morning." Belle said as they approached her bedroom door. Mrs. Potts opened it for her.

"I hope so too," Mrs. Potts said, "have a good night, Belle."

"You too, Mrs. Potts." Belle said as she walked into her room. As Mrs. Potts walked back down the hallway, Belle closed her door, rested her glass of water on a table next to the bed and went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Belle woke up with the sun peeking through her windows. She didn't feel any better from the night before, she actually felt worse. Her throat was now starting to hurt, but she couldn't let it show yet. Belle wanted to speak to Adam before she had to stay in bed. She got out of bed, looked in her closet and pulled out her regular blue clothes. Belle brushed her hair a little bit, enough where it seemed pleasant.

* * *

As for Prince Adam, he woke up and looked around his room. He looked at his hands, making sure that he still wasn't dreaming. Adam threw the covers off and rummaged through his closet. Thanks to the enchantress, his clothes now fit him again. Adam was looking for one of his special suits that he only wears for occasions. As he was looking through his clothes, he found his red cape; the one that he was wearing when he was still a beast. He threw it over himself and fastened the clasp. Adam also slipped on some white pants that he had found. As he continuing rummaging through his closet, he heard a knock on the door. Adam thought it was Cogsworth or Lumiere coming to check on him.

"Come in." he said with his attention still in the closet, but it wasn't Cogsworth or Lumiere; it was Belle. She walked in, she saw Adam going through his closet. Belle sat down on his bed and waited for him to notice. Adam didn't know that Belle was in the room...until he looked at the reflection on the brass buttons on his suits. He was greatly surprised because he realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Adam pulled his cape close to his body, turned around and saw Belle. She seemed a little sad, but she also had her eyes covered.

"You don't have to be embarrassed." Belle said.

"I'm not embarrassed; I was just surprised that it was you." Adam said.

"Well," she said, "if this isn't a good time to talk to you..."

"No, Belle," he said as he sat down next to Belle, "I always have time for you."

"Are you sure?" she asked as she removed her hands from her eyes.

"Yes!" Adam said, he can tell that something is on her mind.

"Hmm, all right," Belle finally said, "this had been on my mind for a while. Well, at least, since our dance last night."

"The best way to get something off your mind is to talk to someone about it." Adam said.

"I did, I talked to Mrs. Potts," Belle sighed, "but it wasn't enough; I had to talk to you about this."

"I'm listening." Adam said, Belle looked at Adam and told him about her talk with Mrs. Potts during the night. Adam was surprised and shocked that a thought like that came into Belle's head.

"What makes you think I want to be with a princess?" Adam asked.

"You're a prince," Belle said bluntly, "you're royalty, which I am not!" Adam could see that Belle was really upset as a few tears had escaped, he had to make her feel better.

"Belle," Adam said, he sighed and continued, "every since I realized I was in love with you, I knew I could never give up that feeling up for anything. I knew that I could never face having you leave me again."

"Never?" Belle asked. Adam placed his hand under her chin and raised her face to his.

"Never." he softly said. Now that she told Adam about what she was thinking, a smile came to Belle's face. Seeing Belle's smile brought a smile to Adam's face.

"Now that's the Belle I know...and love." Adam said.

"Thank you...for listening." Belle softly said, her throat was still hurting, but she tried to speak as normally as possible. She didn't want him to know.

"I'm always here for you." Adam softly said. Although Belle knew that she getting sick, she couldn't kiss Adam, but she could express her happiness, Belle, sort of, pounced on Adam and hugged him. He was a little surprised, but Adam smiled and hugged her back, but he quickly remembered that he wasn't wearing a shirt or a suit.

"Um, Belle, I need you to let go." Adam embarrassingly said.

"Let me guess," Belle said as she let him go, "you have to find a shirt."

"More like a suit that-" Adam continued as he walked over to his closet, "I can't seem to find in my closet."

"What does it look like?" Belle asked as she watched Adam dig out his closet.

"It's a black suit, it's similar the blue suit that I wore yesterday." Adam explained, Belle looked at the pile of clothes that were thrown out of the closet; there was a black suit at the bottom of the pile that was partly under his bed. She pulled the suit out from under the pile and held it up.

"Oh, Adam?" Belle said, Adam turned around and saw the suit Belle was holding.

"You found it?" Adam asked, "Where was it?" Belle giggled as she threw the suit to Adam.

"Under a pile that you made." she said, Adam thanked Belle and tried to put the suit on. When Adam was putting his suit on, Belle started feeling dizzier than last night. As Adam smoothed his suit out, he heard Belle sneeze and cough. He turned around and looked at Belle.

"Belle, are you okay?" Adam asked, Belle tried to cover up her cold.

"Of course, I'm fine." Belle quickly said, but she coughed again.

"That cough does not make you sound fine!" Adam said, Belle coughed again.

"Now that I notice it, your face is turning red." Adam explained.

"Don't worry about me; I'm perfectly fine!" she quickly said, Adam looked at Belle with a skeptical smile; she saw that he knew she was sick. Belle sighed and finally told the truth.

"Okay, okay, I admit that I am a little under the weather. Belle said, but Adam still didn't believe that it was a small thing.

"A little?" Adam asked as he crossed his arms. Belle saw that she couldn't hide it.

"*cough* All right, I am under the weather," Belle said before she sneezed, "I think I got it when I was in the rain with you.

"You need to get some rest, Belle." Adam said, Belle wasn't happy about that.

"Must I?" Belle groaned.

"Remember that large cut you healed when I saved you from the wolves?" Adam asked.

"I could never forget something like that." she said.

"When you bandaged it, you told me to rest up in order for it to heal." he said.

"All right," Belle said in a raspy voice, "you made your point." Adam smiled when the argument was over...and he won it.

"I'll help you back down to your room." Adam said.

"You just don't want me to fall down the stairs." Belle said, Adam made a small chuckle as they went down the stairs. He held Belle's hand so she wouldn't wander off. Adam opened the door to Belle's room and laid her to bed. When he went to the door to leave, he looked back at Belle. She was already fast asleep. Adam quietly closed the door and placed a 'do not disturb' sign on the door handle. He went downstairs into the kitchen; there was Mrs. Potts and Maurice, sitting at a small table.

"Good morning, master." Mrs. Potts said.

"Good morning, Mrs. Potts." Adam nervously said, Adam was still nervous about talking to Maurice, but Maurice understood and spoke to him.

"Your highness," Maurice spoke, "I understand why you're avoiding me. All is forgiven from my end." Nothing could express how surprised Adam was when he heard Maurice had forgiven him.

"Then...I'll have no formality between us." Adam said, "Just call me Adam."

"I won't have any formality either; call me Maurice." Maurice said, Adam walked over to Maurice and the two men shook hands.

"Well, now that's taken care of," Mrs. Potts said, "can I offer you some breakfast muffins, sire?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Potts." Adam said, he took one of the muffins out of the tin.

"Adam, do you know if Belle is up?" Maurice asked, Adam's eyes widen, he forgot that Belle was sick.

"Oh, Mrs. Potts, I need you make some soup for Belle, when you get a chance." Adam quickly said.

"Is something wrong with Belle?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"Belle's sick, she's staying in bed for a while." Adam explained, "She wasn't happy about that."

"This isn't good," Maurice said, "Belle does _not_ like being sick!"

"Well then," Mrs. Potts said, "I'll make the soup right away."

"Not right away," Adam quickly said before Mrs. Potts did anything, "I just got her back in bed."

"'Back in bed'? Did she come to see you?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"Something was on her mind and she wanted to talk to me about it." Adam said, he wasn't too keen of giving the details, so Mrs. Potts and Maurice left it at that.

"Mrs. Potts," Marice said, "if you are going to make soup for Belle, I have a recipe to give you."

"What kind of recipe?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"*sigh* It was Veronica's 'get well' soup." Maurice explained, "If it doesn't cure anyone, nothing will." Adam was a little confused, he didn't know who Veronica was.

"Veronica?" Adam asked.

"Uh...Belle's dead mother, sire." Mrs. Potts softly said, Adam's face dropped.

"Oh! Sorry Maurice!" Adam quickly said, but Maurice just shook his head and smiled.

"It's okay;" Maurice said, "I'm over her death. I wish Belle was." Maurice started think about his wife.

"She's not over her mother's death?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"No," Maurice explained, "mainly because Belle has felt like it was her fault that her mother's dead, but I've told her so many times that it wasn't."

"Not to sound or be nosy, Maurice," Adam said, "but how-"

"How did Veronica die?" Maurice asked, "*sigh* First, let me first tell you about when I first met her."

* * *

_Hello readers, for those who are ahead in the story, I'm sorry for deleting the chapters. I'm just trying to fix them. So I'll be updating two chapters a week, so try not to give anything away._


	6. Chapter 6

As Maurice told the story about his wife, he was flash-backing to when he was much younger with a head full of brown hair in a different village.

He started his story, "I met Veronica when she was doing her piano practices. I peeked in the window of a music shop; nothing could express how beautiful and wonderful Veronica was when I saw her. I came to that window for five days, until a friend of mine took me to a tavern where single men go to see women dance and sing. I didn't want to go, my heart was set on Veronica; no one else. While all the other men, including the friend that brought me there, was watching women dance and walk up to them, I was just staring at my glass of wine, watching the reflection of women dancing. That's when I couldn't believe it; I saw Veronica's reflection in my wine glass. I quickly turned around and saw her dancing and singing. I've never heard such a beautiful voice, but she was the most unusual dancer."

"How so?" Mrs. Potts asked.

Maurice explained, " A pole would be brought out onto the platform and Veronica would grab the pole and start singing and dancing."

"She was a pole dancer?" Mrs. Potts asked shockingly.

Maurice answered, "She sure was."

"What's a pole dancer?" Adam asked. At first, Mrs. Potts didn't want to answer him, but he didn't know.

"Sire...um...pole dancers are women who dance on a pole with...uh...very little clothing." Mrs. Potts said.

"I don't want to know anymore!" Adam quickly said when he heard 'very little clothing', but Maurice continued his story.

"Veronica was quite a dancer, despite that her clothes were very bright colors. I couldn't hold myself back anymore, I went to the front of the platform and watched her slide down and hang herself upside down on the pole, I would just stare at those forest green eyes of hers. When Veronica realized that I was staring at her with my mouth open, she looked at me right in the eyes, grabbed my collar and planted one on me. When she released me, I fell backwards and went out cold, I didn't know if it was the wine of the kiss. *laugh* After that night, I knew I couldn't leave her alone. I asked her out for dinners; surprised her with flowers and chocolate and just about everything a man could give a woman."

"You were head over heels in love with Veronica, weren't you?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"Yep." Maurice answered, "Finally, on her twenty-fifth birthday, I asked her if she was happy with the things I gave her."

"What did she say?" Adam asked.

Maurice paused for a moment before continuing, "...She said...she said the gifts were never compared to the attention and love I gave her. After that, I asked her to marry me."

"Awww," Mrs. Potts said, "What happened next?"

"Next thing I know," Maurice continued, "my face was covered in her blue and green lipstick. She said yes, but on the condition that I take her last name. I did, we became husband and wife six months later. I can still see her in her beautiful white wedding gown holding flowers in every color of the rainbow. We were called Mr. and Mrs. Arc-en-ceil."

"Arc-en-ceil," Adam repeated, "that means 'Rainbow'."

"It was her name and my name, it's also Belle's name too." Maurice said, "Everyday, Veronica would play her piano in the mornings, tend to her flower gardens in the afternoons and would read at night, but Saturdays and Sundays were the only days she would disappear until night. It didn't matter to me at first because she always came back, but when she did come back, she would look like she was just in a fight. She would have black eyes and covered in bruises."

"That's very unusual." Adam said.

"It was," Maurice said, "I finally bulked up the courage and I asked Veronica about them, but she would give me this stare that made me feel smaller than her. There were times where I followed her up to our room and overhear her little talks to the mirror.

"What would she say?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"She would talk about some kind of instrument and her sapphire locket I gave to Belle yesterday. About a year of being married, Veronica started leaving during the afternoon and came back at night everyday. It got on my nerves enough where I confronted her and asked her why she left everyday. I couldn't believe her answer."

"What did she say?" Adam asked.

Maurice said what his wife told him, "'Get ready, Papa!'"

Mrs. Potts asked, "Veronica was...?"

"Pregnant, with twins," Maurice answered, "Everyday, Veronica would read children's books and play piano pieces of children's songs. She said it was so her children could hear their mother's love. She was so happy that she was becoming a mother and I was happy to become a father. Sadly, nine months later, we found out that one of the twins died inside Veronica. She was unhappy that one of the twins died, but she was still happy that she had the other twin."

"It was Belle, wasn't it?" Adam asked. Maurice just smiled as he remembered the day Belle was born.

"Oh yes," Maurice said, "it was Belle. Since Veronica only had Belle, she made sure Belle was happy beyond measures. In fact, since Veronica wore 'the pants' in the family, she would hit my head with our cooking pan just to get Belle to laugh. Come to think of it, when Belle had the chickenpox, it was the only way to get her to laugh."

"You must've had a headache." Mrs. Potts said.

"I did, but it was worth it to see and hear Belle laughing. I would never think that Belle would stop laughing like that." Maurice sadly said.

* * *

Belle was a little child, eight years old. Her mother, Veronica Arc-en-ciel, was tidying the kitchen. Her daughter pulls on her apron, asking she could go outside to play in the snow.

"Mama, can I go outside and play in the snow, please?" 8-year old Belle asked.

"*laughs* Of course, but don't stray into the woods." Veronica said to her young daughter.

"I won't, Mama!" Belle said as she ran out of the house, the snow was falling and it seemed like heaven. She was making snow angels and making snowmen. But about an hour later, Belle heard something coming from the bushes. She ignored it and went back to making her snowman.

Back inside the house, Veronica had just hit Maurice's head with her frying pan. (Belle always laughed whenever her mother released her anger on her father's head.) Maurice wasn't going to face his wife's anger; she did wear the pants in the house. Suddenly, there was screaming outside, Belle's parents ran to the window and saw a two lone wolves getting ready to pounce on Belle (similar to what happened in the first movie). Maurice went to grab his shotgun while Veronica ran out to the wolves. The one of the wolves jumped on Veronica while the other one cornered Belle against a tree. Maurice finally came out and shot both wolves. One of the wolves died and the other one ran off. Belle wasn't injured, but her mother was greatly wounded. There were puncture wounds all over, including a fatal bite on her neck. Maurice and Belle did what they could to save Veronica, but the wounds got infected and never healed. Veronica died three weeks later.

* * *

Hearing what happened to Belle's mother, Adam and Mrs. Potts were silent.

"I can't imagine dying that way." Mrs. Potts sadly said.

"I know;" Maurice sadly said, "Belle believes if she hadn't asked her mother to go outside to play, Veronica would still be alive."

"Looks like me and Belle have some healing to do." Adam softly said.

* * *

_If anyone asks or wonders, yes, pole dancing did exist back then. I also wanted to make Belle's mother as weird as I could.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

As Adam left the kitchen with a sad look, Maurice had some confusion in his mind.

"What did he mean by that?" Maurice asked as he looked at Mrs. Potts, she just had this sad look on her face; she knew what Adam meant by that.

"Nobody can talk about it; it involves his parents." Mrs. Potts explained, "We're not allowed to talk about them."

"Why not?" Maurice asked, but Mrs. Potts looked at him and stayed quiet. She didn't say a word about the issue, she knew how serious Adam took about his parents. When Maurice didn't get anything out of Mrs. Potts, he left it alone when she changed the subject.

"You said you had a recipe to give me?" Mrs. Potts asked. Maurice pulled out a large piece of paper, gave it to Mrs. Potts and left the kitchen. Mrs. Potts brought out a large pot and started putting in peppers, onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, basil, thyme and bay leaves. She could smell the strength of the spices as she stirred the soup. She took a spoon out to taste it. When she did, it was a little spicy, but she could see that it opened up all her senses.

Mrs. Potts was alone in the kitchen with the soup simmering on the stove, until her son, Chip, and Cogsworth walked in. Cogsworth saw the soup on the stove and was about to taste it, but Mrs. Potts caught his finger and hit his hand with a spoon.

"Keep your fingers out of that soup; it's for Belle!" Mrs. Potts said as Cogsworth retracted his hand back.

"I heard she's sick in bed." Cogsworth said.

"Belle's sick, mama?" Chip asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Potts answered, "but it's just a cold, she'll be better soon." Mrs. Potts poured the soup in a bowl and went to take it to Belle. She knocked on the door, but there wasn't an answer. She opened the door; Belle wasn't in bed, in fact, she wasn't anywhere in her room. Mrs. Potts was getting a little concerned that Belle wasn't in bed resting.

* * *

As for Belle, despite that she was sick, she was in no mood to just stay in bed.

"Ugh! I don't care I'm sick." Belle said before she sneezed, "I'm not staying in this bed!" She got up, looked through her dresser; she was still having a hard time knowing that the dresser wasn't Claudette. Belle grabbed her blue dress and put it back on, she already wore it and she didn't want her cold to be spread to any of her other dresses. She left her bedroom and went downstairs into one of the smaller castle gardens.

Belle browsed through the little gardens, she didn't want to go into the bigger gardens for two reasons, 1: she knew that she would get lost looking at everything, and 2: Adam wanted to show her the larger gardens himself. Belle was minding her own business until she bent down to smell an iris, but when she tried smell it, she couldn't smell anything. Her nose was so stuffed up that she couldn't smell anything.

"This isn't fair!" Belle said to herself. She then heard someone say;

"What's wrong?" Belle knew it was a female voice, but it sounded different from any of the servants. She knew it wasn't one of the servants who said that. She racked her head around because she did recognize the voice, but she was making her head hurt even more. Belle decided to turn around, when she did, she couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her. There was a woman standing as tall as Belle was, she was wearing a black feathered coat, a gray skirt and white shoes, but caught Belle's attention the most was the golden mask the woman was wearing.

"T...Tin...Tintement?" Belle said, "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is." the woman said as she smiled.

* * *

In another part of the castle, Adam was in the library, seeing what kind of book Belle would want to read while she rests in bed. His eyes wandered to the window, he was surprised about what he saw. He saw Belle with another person, Adam was wondering whom the other person.

* * *

"It's been so long since I've seen you, Belle." said Tintement.

"*cough* I know," Belle said as she smiled, "I've missed you so much." Tintement noticed Belle's red face and she was coughing.

"Cousin of mine, are you sick?" asked Tintement, Belle sneezed before she could answer.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, yes." Belle said, Tintement gave her a handkerchief so Belle could blow her nose.

"I know how much you hate saying you're sick," said Tintement, "In fact, I know how much you hate being sick."

"Well, Tintement," Belle said, "seeing you again, makes me feel a little better, but I still hate cold and flu season!" Belle's cousin, Tintement, giggled when Belle crossed her arms.

"You've always have." Tintement said, "Well, I'm glad to have finally found you after so many months."

"I'm glad you did." Belle said, she sneezed into the handkerchief.

"Hmm, maybe I should stick around until you're better, Belle." Tintement said, Belle's eyes shrunk a little when her cousin said that.

"I don't think that's a wise idea, Tintement." Belle said, "I don't want papa seeing you. I don't want to think what would happen if he sees you."

"I do see that side of the problem," Tintement said, "but you're more important to me than my own life."

"I have to say it; I am a little surprised to see that mask on your face." Belle said.

"My human face, my dear cousin." Tintement said, "It's been so long since I saw my human face and it's nice to see that it's still the same as it used to."

"Where did you find it?" Belle asked.

"I met a wise priestess, she gave me this golden wolf mask I have on my face." Tintement explained, "She also gave me a silver fox mask which I want you to have." Tintement reached into her black coat and pulled out the fox mask, Belle knew silver was pretty, but when she saw the silver fox mask, she couldn't express how beautiful it really was.

"Tintement, why do you want me to keep this one?" Belle asked.

"Well, because of our..._you know__ what_...these mask will help give us our human form." Tintement explained, "Especially when...Celia and Fiona...show their ugly heads." When Belle heard those names, her face dropped and was filled with fear.

"I forgot all about them!" Belle quickly said, "Now I'm worried."

"Calm down or you're going to worse," Tintement said, "Now that I've found you and know where you are, I'll be able to protect your skin. I still think I should stay with you until you're feeling better. I do have one question for you, my beloved little cousin."

"What might that be?" Belle said before she coughed.

"Forgive me for being rude," she said, "but how did you managed to live a castle as beautiful as this one?" Belle wasn't sure to be honest with her cousin, she couldn't tell Tintement about Adam's curse.

"You won't believe me, Tintement." was all Belle could say. Tintement didn't want to give up that easily, unless it was private to Belle.

"Hmm...it's a boy, isn't it?" Tintement asked with a sly grin, Belle's face turned even more red. "You're in love, my dear cousin. I'm not here to try and get between the two of you, I'm just worried about you being sick."

"Believe it or not," Belle said, "You're not the only one." As soon as Belle said that, the two of them heard Adam's voice, shouting Belle's name. He was walking around the grounds looking for her.

"Uh-oh!" Tintement said, Belle turned back at her.

"Tintement, get out of here!" Belle quickly said. As Tintement was running off, Belle heard Tintement's voice.

"I'll be back and make sure you get back in a bed!" Tintement said as she disappeared. She disappeared as soon as Adam caught sight of Belle, but he could see that the person Belle was talking to was gone.

"Belle." Adam said as he approached her.

"Don't tell me that you're already worried about me." Belle said as she smiled.

"Yes," Adam explained, "because you are sick with a cold or the flu, you're not in bed and I caught you talking to someone from a window. Mind telling me who it was?" Belle just smiled and told him;

"You don't have to worry about her, she's just an old friend of mine." She said. Adam was a little confused.

"'Her'? 'She'?" Adam asked, Belle did a laugh so little that he didn't hear it.

"Did you think I was talking to another man?" Belle asked.

"Not at first." Adam said.

"You don't have to worry about it," she said, "I swear on my life." Adam sighed and gave in.

"Fine," he said, "I'll worry about the other thing." Now Belle was confused.

"What other thing?" she asked as she sneezed into a handkerchief.

"You being sick and not in bed." Adam finally said. Belle just made a sickly groan.

"I hate being sick!" Belle said, Adam looked at her and smiled, he took her hand and took Belle back inside the castle. Adam could tell that Belle hated being sick and not doing anything, but she had to get better so no one else would get sick.

* * *

Adam brought Belle back into her room, he can tell on the look on her face that she was not too happy.

"Belle," Adam said, "you do know that I love you so much that even I can't stand that you're sick as well."

"I see that, I really do, Adam." Belle said, "It's just...*sigh*"

"What?" he asked.

"Every time I got sick when I was young," she explained, "Papa wouldn't let anybody near me, not even my mother. He didn't want anybody near me so they wouldn't get sick either, but I was always lonely. My mother was busy teaching her singing and dance class, but when she came home, she was tired. I didn't push her about the issue. My books gave me some comfort, papa didn't spend any time with me when I was sick. Papa wouldn't let me out my room either, the only time I was allowed out was to use the bathroom."

"Is that why you always wanted to get out of your room?" Adam asked, he felt very bad for Belle, knowing that she was always alone when she was sick.

"Yes," Belle said, "I was tired of always being 'locked up', so to speak."

"Why didn't you say anything, Belle?" he asked.

"I know you are busy with certain things of your own *sneeze*," she explained, "I also know that the servants are busy themselves, trying to get used to their human bodies again. I didn't want to be 'a block in the road'." Adam couldn't believe a thought entered into Belle's head.

"Belle," he said as he held her hand, "you'll never be a block in _my_ road. All you had to do was tell me."

"I guess me knowing that you're a prince is what's keeping from opening up." Belle said, "I shouldn't let it, but it is."

"Think of it this way, Belle," Adam said, "you can always open up to me, whether I'm a prince or a regular guy trying to impress a girl." Belle giggled at that remark, she thought it was funny. "You should rest, Belle. I'll stay with you if you like."

"Well, I also don't want you to get sick either." Belle said as she sat down on the bed.

"I guess I'll take my chances." Adam said, "I'll go downstairs and get some soup for you; I'll be back in a few minutes." Adam left the room, Belle smiled to herself as she put her nightgown back on.

"I can't let it get in the way." Belle softly said to herself. Just then, she heard a pecking noise coming from the window. Belle looked over and saw a giant size black bird. She opened the window and the bird flew in.

"Handsome man, you have." Said the black bird.

"He is, Tintement." Belle said as the black bird pulled out the golden wolf mask and placed it on its face. As soon as the mask touched the feathers, the bird transformed itself into Belle's cousin, Tintement.

"Quite a man you got yourself, my dear cousin." Tintement said, "Someone far better than I could get."

"Oh, don't say that!" Belle said as she pulled out a robe, "*cough, cough* I know you'll find someone!"

"Not when I'm covered in feathers or fur," Tintement pointed out, "I scare anyone I meet, whether I'm wearing this mask or not."

"Tintement, I do understand that you miss being...human," Belle said, "but you can't give up so easily. You need to have hope."

"I doubt that," Tintement said, "you're under this curse as well as I am. You're just lucky that it doesn't go into affect until Celia and Fiona are inside your home."

"I'm not trying to rub it in!" Belle urged, "*sneeze* I need to ask you, Tintement; are you still adamant about not telling anyone about our curse?"

"As a matter of fact...I AM!" Tintement boomed, Belle fell backwards on the bed. "We...or I...can't allow anyone to know! If someone does find out, they'll never look at us the same way again!" Belle didn't know what to feel, she wanted to tell Adam about the curse, but she knows that Tintement has a temper that's much worse that Adam's. Belle knew that Adam would understand, but she also knew that Tintement didn't know Adam like she did.

"But Tintement," Belle said in a raspy voice, "I understand why you want me to keep my mouth shut around papa, *cough, cough, sniffle* but please let me tell Adam." Tintement wasn't paying much attention to what Belle was saying, she was paying more attention to her cousin's voice.

"Belle, get some rest." Tintement said, "You really need it." Suddenly, there was the sound of the doorknob twisting. Belle knew it was Adam coming back, but there was no time for Tintement to go out the window. So she didn't have any choice...except to hide under the bed. When Tintement went under the bed, Belle didn't what to think.

_'You have some of the strangest ideas, my dear cousin.'_ Belle thought to herself as the door opened up. Belle saw that Adam brought Mrs. Potts with him, she was just thinking about what the motherly former teapot will say.

"Heavens, Belle," Mrs. Potts said, "you could've caught your death of cold going outside!" Belle had a feeling that was what she was going to say, but Belle didn't say anything, nor did she want to. Her throat was much too sore from talking to Tintement. "Well, Belle," Mrs. Potts said as she felt Belle's forehead, "you, without a doubt, have a nasty fever. You need to stay in bed for the next few days." All Belle did was groan and fell back on her pillows.

"At least it's nothing too serious." Adam said, all Belle did was nod her head.

"And Belle has a sore throat." Mrs. Potts added, both Belle and Adam were surprised.

"How did you know that?" Adam asked.

"Belle hasn't spoken throughout the whole time we've been talking." Mrs. Potts explained. "Anyway, I brought you a bowl of soup, Belle. I think you might recognize the recipe. I'll be back with something that will help sooth your throat." As Mrs. Potts left the room, Adam spoke to Belle.

"You already have a good reason for not talking," Adam said, "but you'll get your voice back soon."

* * *

As for Tintement, she didn't mind too much hiding under the bed. She listened to what Adam was telling her cousin, it took all of what Tintement had to keep her mouth closed. Even though Tintement was beginning to like Adam, she still didn't want him to know about the curse that was placed on her and Belle. Just mainly because, she didn't want her cousin to lose the man that loves her so much.

* * *

As a couple of days of Belle being silent passed, she finally got rid of her cold and started acting like her old self. Prince Adam sneaked a rose petal into Belle's soup, which caused Belle to be better in a few days. He could see that the enchantress was telling the truth about the enchanted rose, but he could also see that Belle wasn't telling the truth about her 'friend'. Everyday, around sunset, Adam would see Belle outside talking to her friend. He didn't know that her friend was her cousin, Tintement. Prince Adam was getting a little jealous, but he wasn't going to damage his relationship with Belle. It wasn't long until the servants saw Belle's 'arrives at sunset' friend, Lumiere saw Belle and her cousin at the pond, Cogsworth saw Belle and Tintement near the garden and Mrs. Potts saw them on the bridge between the castle and the gate.

* * *

One sunny day, Adam took Belle on a picnic. They loved having personal time together when they could get it, which wasn't very often since he was a prince and he needed to get back on track with his royal duties. The basket was filled with sandwiches, fruit, stew and a special dessert, strawberries and chocolate. It was romantic, well in Adam and Belle's opinion, as there was chocolate all over their lips and noses. Heard of a chocolate kiss, well that's what they had too. After all that wonderful food of the picnic, the two of them laid on their backs, stared into the sky and watched the clouds.

"I've never been this happy in years." Adam said, Belle grabbed his hand.

"Considering that we have each other and that the spell's broken," Belle said, "I wouldn't give this up for anything." Adam could hear the honesty in Belle's words. He finally decided to ask Belle about her hooded friend.

"Belle?" Adam said.

"Yes?" Belle said.

"Since the arrival of your 'friend', you've been spending a lot of time with her." Adam said, Belle just giggled.

"So you are jealous!" She said.

"I didn't say I was!" Adam quickly said.

"But you want to know why I'm spending time with her." Belle said.

"Yes." Adam said, Belle didn't care if she did get in trouble with Tintement, she was at least going to tell him that she was her cousin.

"Well," Belle said, "she's my cousin." Adam quickly sat up and looked at Belle.

"Your cousin?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Belle explained as she sat up, "we only see each other once a month, but when I came to your castle, it wasn't possible for us to see each other because she didn't know where I was."

"How did she find you?" he asked.

"That's all she did," she continued, "she just found me the day the spell broke. I didn't know she was around until the day I got sick."

"Since she's your cousin," Adam said, "I would like to know her." Adam thought it would be nice to know any other family Belle had, but he watched her face drop.

"That's not possible, my father can't see her!" She quickly said.

"Why not?" Adam asked, he wondered what was going on.

"I can't tell you yet," Belle said, "because of a certain reason, but I like the fact that you get jealous about my attention." Belle laughed when she said that, Adam just chuckled at her as they held hands.


	8. Chapter 8

Just then, the sun started to set. Adam and Belle gathered the blanket and the basket and headed back to the castle. When they opened the front door, the castle servants were doing their last few chores for the day. Adam decided to go to the library, Belle told him that she would meet him there. While Belle was putting the dirty picnic dishes in the kitchen sink, she head a yell or and shout of pain from Adam. She quickly went into the ballroom, her jaw dropped from the sight of what happened.

* * *

Her cousin, Tintement, was standing of Adam's back. When he was walking through the halls to the library, Tintement jumped from the ceiling and pounced on him. When Belle saw her cousin on Adam, she was not too happy.

"Tintement!" Belle shouted. When Tintement heard someone call her name, she turned around and saw Belle.

"I've been looking for you!" Tintement said as she walked off Adam's back. Adam slowly got back up with his hands on his back, Belle could see that he was in pain. They were lucky it was one of the few halls that the servants stay away from unless it was very important.

"Ouch." Adam said as he straightened out his back.

"Are you all right?" Belle quickly asked.

"I'll be fine." Adam said, he tried to put on a smile so Belle wouldn't have to worry so much. But his attention was more focused on Tintement. "Is this your cousin?" he asked.

"Yes," Belle said as she stared at her cousin, "this is my cousin, Tintement." As for Tintement, she was staring at Adam. She was not too happy at the moment, but she tried to keep what she's feeling to herself.

"Why does she wear a mask?" Adam asked, Tintement's eyes grew large when he asked that. Belle didn't know how to answer that one.

"I wear one for my own reasons," Tintement answered, "there's your answer."

"May I ask why you jumped onto Adam's back?" Belle asked, Tintement looked straight into her eyes.

"I thought it was you because I was trying to find you." Tintement explained, all Belle could respond to that was to slap her forehead with her hand. Adam didn't know what to say or think about Tintement, she was...like Belle's opposite.

"I need some to myself and to Adam." Belle said, Tintement looked at her cousin then over to Adam.

"I don't trust him." Tintement said as she walked up to Adam, "He's hiding something, I can sense it!" Now Adam was a little concerned, he couldn't let Tintement find out about his spell.

"You don't need to know about it, Tintement!" Belle said.

"He's hiding something and...you're not concerned about it?" Tintement asked with a little surprise.

"It's for him to know and for us to guess." Belle said, Tintement was a little annoyed. She looked back at Adam.

"Don't think I'm not going to find out." Tintement said as she folded her arms.

"Forgive my cousin, Adam." Belle said, "She just hasn't been her usual happy self."

"Belle," Adam whispered, "I think you know the real reason why she wears that mask. Why don't you tell me what _you're_ hiding?"

"Believe me, Adam." Belle whispered, "I'm too happy with myself for keeping this from you either."

"Then why are you?" he whispered.

"Because I told her not too!" Tintement shouted.

"Tintement, please, I'm begging you." Belle said, "Let me tell Adam."

"Humph!" Tintement said, "He won't understand! He doesn't know what it's like! Why should we tell him our secret when he's holding one of his own from us?" Belle couldn't stand it anymore, she got between Adam and Tintement and slapped her across the face.

Tintement couldn't believe what her cousin just did to her, Belle slapped her so hard that her mask almost popped off her face. Even Adam couldn't believe that Belle did such a thing, especially to someone that was a member of her family.

"I'm sick of holding this back!" Belle said as she pushed her cousin, "You may keep me from telling papa, but I'm going to tell Adam whether you like it or not!" Tintement couldn't believe that Belle was standing up to her, she hasn't had anyone do that for a long time. So when Belle, her little cousin, did stand up for what she wanted, Tintement had to give her some respect.

"Hmm...you've definitely grown up in some ways." Tintement said, "If you want to tell him, I can't get in the way." Belle couldn't believe what Tintement just said, Tintement had been known not to give up when it comes to their secret. "You probably know him a lot more than I may think," she continued, "if you really believe that he'll understand, I can't get in your way, just don't exaggerate."

"You're serious?" Belle asked.

"It took a lot out of you to stand up to me," Tintement said, "even more to slap me across the face. The least I can do is swallow my pride and let you do what you want to do, not what I want you to do." What Tintement said...made Adam start thinking about how Belle always stood up to him...when he was still a beast. It also took at lot out of Belle to stand up to the Beast, even more to say 'no' to him.

* * *

After Tintement and Belle had their little 'chat', Belle and Adam went into the library. Tintement decided to stay outside the library doors. To Belle and Adam, the library was the only place where they could be alone when it was needed. Once inside, she closed the door, Adam could see that this seemed a serious matter.

"This must be really serious." Adam said.

"It is;" Belle said, "it involves my life and Tintement's life." When Adam heard that, his eyes shrunk.

"Are you saying your life is on the line?" he asked.

"Yes." she said sadly.

"Belle, you need to tell me everything, I can't lose you again!" Adam said.

"*sigh* This all started years ago," Belle started, "when Tintement and I were children." Flashback when Belle and Tintement were children. They always got along and played with each other until one fall night.

* * *

"Tintement was nine years old when this happened." Belle said. "Celia and Fiona came to her parents' house and murdered them. Fiona went after Tintement and tried to murder her as well. She attacked her with all her force and thought that it did the trick. I don't know how, but she was still barely alive. When Celia found out that Tintement survived, she placed a spell on Tintement."

"Is that why she wears a mask?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Belle answered, "after my mother's funeral, the same thing happened to me. Fiona tried to kill me as well, but, just like my cousin, I managed to survive and Celia placed the same spell on me."

* * *

Back in the library, hearing that Belle was under a spell almost made Adam's heart stop. He couldn't believe that the woman he loves so much was cursed.

"The spell acts different on me than Tintement." Belle explained, "It only goes into affect when Celia and Fiona are under the roof of my house, when they visit."

"Why would they visit you?" Adam asked, "Especially when they tried to kill you and your cousin?"

"Because...because..." Belle was stalling, Adam could tell that she didn't want to say it, but she had to.

"Tell me, Belle." he said, tears started to fall from Belle's face.

"Because...because..." Belle decided to get it over with and say it quickly. "because they're my aunt and step-grandmother."

* * *

_Quite the surprise, isn't it?  
_


	9. Chapter 9

There was silence in the room as tears continued to fall down Belle's face. Adam couldn't believe what he had heard; her aunt and grandmother tried to kill Belle and Tintement and placed the same curse on both of them. He knew that Belle didn't want to talk about this, but he had to know more in order to help her. After all, she helped him when he was cursed.

"How...exactly does you father play in this role?" Adam asked.

"What are you asking?" Belle asked.

"Why don't you want your father to know about your cousin?, he asked, "Does he know about everything?"

"No," she answered, "Papa thinks that Tintement died along with his brother and his wife. He also doesn't know anything about the curse or what Fiona and Celia have done." Belle tried to clean her face and stop crying as she continued, "Fiona uses her dark magic to manipulate my papa's mind. He tried to kill me himself because he didn't recognize me and he thought I was trying to kill him. Another reason, they have threatened us, saying that we'll never be free if we told my father about the curse and...Tintement really will die if he finds out that she is still alive."

"What exactly does this spell do to you and your cousin?" he asked.

"Well, it's a little similar to yours," Belle explained, "we become bird women during the day and we become bat women at night. It was to remain that way until Tintement caught a loop. She met a wise priestess, who gave us two masks; the masks helped us regain our human form when we wear them. Tintement kept the golden wolf mask, she just gave me the silver fox mask."

"So when you take off the masks, the spell goes back into affect." Adam guessed.

"Yes," she answered, "we're stuck with this spell until we're able to break it. Now you can understand why Tintement and I act like this." Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Belle jumped at the sound as Adam retained his ground.

"Who's there?" Belle asked, she then heard her cousin's voice behind the door.

"For heaven's sake, Belle, it's only your cousin."

"Come in then." Belle said, Tintement walked in, her arms were crossed as she stared at Adam, but her voice was towards Belle.

"He now knows?" she asked.

"I do know," Adam said, "believe me, I won't open my mouth about this."

"If Belle trusts you, I might as well give you the benefit of the doubt." Tintement calmly said, "I just came to tell you that I have to go; Uncle Maurice is outside the front door."

"Well, until we meet again, Tintement, take care of yourself." Belle said. "I wish you could live here with me."

"I would if the stakes weren't stacked against us. You take care of yourself as well, cousin of mine." Tintement said as she removed her golden mask, she was transformed into a giant black bat. All Adam could do was stare and cover his mouth, he already made a promise to Belle and Tintement that he would keep his mouth shut. "I know I look strange, but try not to judge me when I look like this." Tintement said.

"I already learned that lesson," Adam said, "you don't have to worry about me judging your outside appearance." Tintement just bowed her head, Belle went over to the window and opened it. Tintement opened her wings, went out the window and flew into the forest.

* * *

Belle went out into the front hall, where her father was hanging his coat; he seemed very excited about something.

"Hello father." Belle said.

"Belle, I've got great news for you!" Maurice said, Belle could see that he was overly excited.

"What kind of news?" she asked.

"Your aunt and grandmother are coming over! Tomorrow!" he said excitedly, but Belle wanted to die when she heard that. She quickly remembered that she had to make sure her expressions about her aunt and grandmother were hidden.

"What did you say?" Belle calmly asked.

"I sent out a letter to your aunt and grandma a few days ago and told them to come over. Soon, we'll be living with them again!" Maurice happily said, Belle could understand why her father was excited about Aunt Celia and Grandma Fiona. Besides Belle, Celia and Fiona were the only family that Maurice has. Maurice followed Belle back to his room, since he was still learning his way around the castle. As her father walked into his room, Belle just slowly walked back to her room.

* * *

Lumiere was messing with Babette (the former feather duster) when he noticed Belle coming his way. He quickly pulled himself together and he and Babette distance themselves. But when Belle passed them, Lumiere and Babette saw that Belle's face was wet and her eyes were red.

"Mademoiselle, Belle, is something wrong?" Lumiere asked. Belle just shook her head 'no, and continued to go her way, she never once looked at Lumiere and Babette, she was too worried about tomorrow.

Seeing how upset Belle was, Lumiere went up to the west wing and knocked on the door. When he heard his master's voice telling him to come in, Lumiere walked in; Adam was brushing his hair out for the night.

"Master, there's something wrong with Belle." Lumiere said, Adam stopped brushing, placed his brush down and faced Lumiere.

"What makes you say that?" Adam asked.

"Sire, I just saw her and her face was completely wet and her eyes looked like a burning red color." Lumiere explained. Now Adam was concerned...again, he went to the east wing, Belle's room. When he got there, Belle was leaning her head against the door. Tears were falling down her face and she was breathing very hard and fast. He laid a hand on her shoulder; she quickly turned and looked at him. Adam almost jumped at the sight of Belle's eyes; they used to be an olive brown, now she looks like she's possessed!

"Belle," Adam said, "I've never seen your eyes like that! What's wrong?" Belle started to cry.

"Fiona...Celia...they're coming here!" Belle whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Papa invited them;" she whispered, "they'll be here!"

"When?" Adam asked.

"Tomorrow!" Belle said as she broke down. She almost collapsed on the floor, but Adam caught her and she cried in his arms. Adam sensed that Belle didn't want to be alone tonight, so instead of taking Belle in her room, Adam carried Belle to the west wing. Belle never truly knew how much Adam really loved her until that night.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning came; Maurice was getting everything ready for the arrival of his sister and stepmother. The servants helped out as well, but Belle and Adam didn't do anything. They knew about the horror of Fiona and Celia. Belle and Adam stood on the balcony just waiting to hear that Fiona and Celia were here. Adam could feel the fear and sadness coming from Belle.

* * *

Just then, there was the galloping of horses. Belle perked up and looked at the bridge, she saw eight black horses pulling three large carriages. Adam saw the carriages and looked back at Belle, she was acting like a scared little child.

"It's them." Belle whispered, Adam could see how afraid she was.

"Calm down, Belle." Adam said, "I won't let them get anywhere near you."

"You can't let them." Belle said with more fright, "I can't..." Belle just turned around and disappeared. The servants were surprised about Belle's behavior, but Maurice ignored it and went to greet his sister and stepmother. Adam went off to look for Belle, but she was nowhere to be found. He went back to the ballroom; he was met with a cloud of smoke.

"Is the castle on fire?" Adam asked, coughing from all the smoke.

"No, sire," Cogsworth said, also coughing from the smoke, "it's Maurice's stepmother." Adam looked over at Maurice, there was a young woman with grey eyes and strawberry-blond hair. Adam walked up to the two of them.

"Prince Adam, I would for you to meet my half-sister, Celia." Maurice said, Adam was surprised that the smoke wasn't affecting him like it's affecting the staff. Celia curtsied to show respect, Adam wasn't used to that, but he bowed and stood up.

"Pleased to meet you." Adam said, trying not to cough.

"I apologize for the smoke, your majesty." Celia said, "I've been trying to get my mama to stop smoking, but she's very stubborn." Adam also noticed that Celia wasn't affected by the smoke either. Just then, Celia's mother, also Maurice's stepmother, Fiona walks into the ballroom. Once she did, more smoke came out of her mouth and filled the room. Fiona seemed very upset as she walked up to Maurice.

"For heaven's sake, where is she, Maurice?" Fiona shouted, with her white hair sticking up and light green eyes looking through him.

"Who, mother?" Maurice asked.

"My little runt of a granddaughter, Belle!" Fiona shouted, smoke seeped out her mouth and hit Maurice in the face. Maurice didn't have an answer to where Belle was, Adam decided to step in.

"She went out!" Adam said, still coughing. Fiona stared at Adam, it felt like she was staring right through him.

"Out?" she asked.

"Yes, *cough* she won't be back for while." Adam said, he was hoping that Fiona believed what he said. He couldn't think up another idea.

"Fine." Fiona said, as she inhaled her cigarette and blew out the smoke, straight into Adam's face. Adam coughed harshly after inhaling that smoke.

"Forgive me, Adam," Maurice said, "this is my stepmother, Fiona."

"I raised Maurice and his brother when I married their father, who is also Celia's father." Adam was having a hard time paying attention to anyone because everytime she opened her mouth, smoke would seep out her mouth and hit him in the face.

"Lucky for Belle," Fiona continued, "she managed to find somewhere better than that rutty house you had, Maurice. Who knew that runt of yours would get herself a prince?"

"Mother," Celia butted in, "what did we say about names in the family?" Fiona groaned, she hated it when her daughter gets on her case about things.

"You know very well that Belle doesn't mind." Fiona said. Adam couldn't believe that Belle was being called a 'runt'. Belle was telling the truth about her step grandmother, she was very horrid!

"Mother, is that a new necklace?" Maurice asked when he noticed a red gem necklace around her neck. Fiona laughed when she was noticed.

"It certainly is," Fiona said, "I live for beautiful stones! Isn't there a woman on earth who doesn't?"

"Well, I think Belle would like a nice stone," Maurice said, "but I just gave her Veronica's locket." When Fiona heard that, she was really surprised.

"The sapphire diamond-shaped locket?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, "she was so happy to have it." Adam could see the concern on Fiona's face, she didn't seem too happy that Belle had her mother's locket. Fiona put on smile, but Adam could see that it's a fake smile.

"Good for Belle," Fiona said, "she now looks more like her mother now." Adam could hear what Fiona grumbled under her breath, "Not much of a surprise."

"Care for some tea, mother?" Maurice asked as he handed her a cup, but Fiona quickly got up and knocked her cigarette.

"Sorry Maurice, I need to take my luggage out of the carriages. Tell me when Belle gets here, come along Celia, come along." Fiona quickly said as she went down the stairs and Celia closed the doors to the ballroom.

"Somebody open the windows!" Adam shouted.

"Immediately!" Cogsworth said as he and other servants reached for the windows. The windows flew open and the smoke went out the window, everyone was happy from breathing the fresh air.

"Maurice?" said Adam.

"Yes?" Maurice asked.

"May I ask why you didn't ask me if your sister and stepmother could come over?" Adam asked, Maurice could see that he was a little frustrated...and he was trying to control his temper around Celia and Fiona.

"Well, you did say that you wouldn't have any formality between us." Maurice said.

"Yes," Adam said, "I did say that, but I wish you would've asked me first."

"I am sorry," Maurice said, "you are right, I should've asked you."

"Mistakes happen." Adam said as he raised his head, "But...aren't you somewhat worried about Belle?"

"No, not really." Maurice said, Adam couldn't believe what he had heard, "She always run off when my half sister and stepmother come over. Belle hasn't liked my side of the family, except my brother and his family. I'm still upset about them dying in a house fire." Adam was starting to see a flashback of a fire when Maurice said 'house fire'.

"Sire?"

Adam quickly snapped out of it and looked over to see who was getting his attention, it was Mrs. Potts.

"Sire, what's wrong with Belle?" she asked, "I've never seen her like that before."

"I don't know," Adam answered, he couldn't tell his servants the real truth, because if he did, it would spread like wildfire and it wouldn't be long until Fiona and Celia would try to do something to them. "I'm going to try and find her."

Adam turned around and left the ballroom. He looked all over the castle, trying to find Belle. He could still picture the face she had before she ran off; she was so scared. No matter where he looked, Adam couldn't find Belle, she was no longer in the castle. He sadly walked up to his room, the west wing; he walked in, closed the door, and sadly sat down on his bed. His heart was hurting and breaking from Belle disappearing and no longer with him.

* * *

Over the next few days, Prince Adam never left his room. He didn't see the point of coming out when Belle wasn't around for him to love. The servants were greatly worried about their master. They knocked on his door and asked if they could come in, but Adam refused to let anyone in, he was greatly upset and sad. Because of their worry for their master, no one noticed that Belle was missing. Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts were wondering what the problem could be. Lumiere tried peeking through the keyhole in the door lock, but he could see nothing because Adam was in his bed and the blankets were covering his body.

One night, Cogsworth stepped up and knocked on Adam's door.

"Sire, let me in!" Cogsworth said.

"Cogsworth, leave me alone!" Adam said from behind his bedroom door.

"You're worrying everybody, sire!" Cogsworth explained, "I'm not leaving until you let me come in!"

"*groan* Fine, come in." Adam finally said, Cogsworth opened the door; he saw his master hiding under the covers of the bed.

"Sire, you need to get out of this bed! You're worrying the lives out of me and all the other servants!" Cogsworth said.

"Cogsworth, I'm not in any mood, not even in a talking mood!" Adam said, while still under the covers of his bed.

"Maybe getting out of this giant bed of yours will make you feel better!" Cogsworth said, he grabbed the blankets and tried to pull them off, but Adam held onto the blankets and wouldn't let go.

"Master, you need to get out of your bed and come out of this room now!" Cogsworth shouted. After saying that, Adam pushed Cogsworth into the wall. One of the vases fell and hit Cogsworth's head, he shook his head and looked at his master. Adam was out of the bed, but his blankets now covered him. Cogsworth noticed that Adam was a little taller than his usual height.

"Master, tell me what's going on. You've been acting like this for six days! What's wrong?" Cogsworth asked, Adam grabbed the blankets from the inside and threw them off. Cogsworth couldn't believe what he was seeing; his master became a beast again! Cogsworth backed himself into the wall, that form, that scared him and the rest of the staff almost to death ten years ago, was back again. Adam was still wearing his white pants and his black suit, somehow fitting perfectly around his beastly body.

"Sire, what-what happened?" Cogsworth asked with fright, Adam was very sad as he spoke in his beastly voice again.

"Easy, Cogsworth." Adam calmly said, "I'm no longer that selfish beast you've known for 10 years."

"But sire what happened?" Cogsworth urged, "You're...You're...How did this happen?"

"Even I don't know!" Adam said sadly, "I can't go out looking like this again!"

"I understand, sire," Cogsworth said, "but you should've let us know. Why didn't you?"

"Because...Because..." Adam started to say, "I would think you would keep your focus on finding Belle."

" 'Finding Belle?' What do you mean?" Cogsworth asked, Adam was beginning to lose his temper, but he had to try and control it.

"*growl* Are you telling me none of you noticed that she is gone?" Adam said, trying to control his anger, "She vanished when her aunt and step-grandmother came to the castle. I've been looking all over for her and I can't find her!"

"We'll find her, sire." Cogsworth said.

"You can't let Fiona, Celia or Maurice know!" Adam urged.

"Not to be rude, sire, but why not?" Cogsworth asked.

"You're going to have to trust me." Adam said, "Belle told me some terrible things about her aunt and step-grandmother, and Maurice doesn't care that she's missing as long his sister and stepmother are with him."

"Very well, sire," Cogsworth said, "I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen." He turned around and left his master in peace, he still couldn't believe that Belle was gone and his master was a beast once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Adam didn't what to think or feel. First, Belle disappears as soon as her aunt and step-grandmother arrive here and now; he's become the Beast once again.

"Why is this happening?" he asked himself.

"Hello, your highness." Adam jumped, he thought it was Belle, but it wasn't. He knew Belle was not known for saying 'your highness', he turned around and saw, standing in a corner, the enchantress. He growled at her.

"What in heaven's name are you doing back?" he growled.

"Try not to growl at me." The enchantress said.

"It's hard not to!" Adam said angrily, "What gave you the reason to change me back into this thing again!"

"I didn't do it." She calmly answered, "True, I did place the spell on you, but when you broke it, I no longer had power over the way you looked. But the Beast still lives inside you, whether you like it or not. You changed back into the Beast all on your own." At first, Adam didn't want to believe her. "I do understand that you don't trust me...after what I did to you ten years ago," she continued, "but now, I'm here to help you."

"*growl* Then why did I change back?" Adam asked, still a little angry.

"You feel sadness in your heart," the enchantress explained, "so much so that you would rather be in your beastly body than your human form. Why don't you tell me why you're so upset?"

"Why should I tell you?" Adam asked, "Why does it matter to you?"

"I'm just trying to help you!" she said, "You already got proof when Belle got sick!" The enchantress was right; when Adam placed a rose petal in Belle's soup, Belle got rid of her cold a lot faster than what other people could.

"Fine," Adam finally gave in, he took a deep breath and tried to control his temper, "The love of my life, Belle...has disappeared. I've tried looking for her, but I've never found her. She was so scared before she vanished."

"No wonder you're depressed." The enchantress said, that relied Adam a little bit.

"I'm a lot more than depressed!" he urged, "If you're here to help, why don't you go find her!"

"I think this will help you." The enchantress said as she reached into her sleeve. What she pulled out...was the magic mirror! Adam was greatly surprised as the enchantress gave him the mirror. He thought he gave the mirror to Belle. What Belle didn't get a chance to tell him was that Gaston snatched the mirror out of Belle's hand and took it with him when he was leading the mob. The enchantress smiled at him as she gave the mirror back to Adam.

Adam asked, "How did you-"

"It fell out of the hunter's belt when you were fighting with him on the castle rooftops." The Enchantress explained.

"Thank you." he said.

"Anything I could do to help you find her." she said. Adam looked into the mirror asked it to show him where Belle was. The mirror did its magic and showed Adam a place of ruins; the enchantress looked over his huge arm and looked at the image.

"I know where that is." said the Enchantress.

"So do I," Adam said, "she must be there."

"I must warn you though," she said, "You must take the mirror and the rose with you. You can't leave them here with Fiona in your castle." Adam was a little surprised that the Enchantress knew about Fiona.

"You know Belle's step-grandmother?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, "she's very dangerous. You make sure that the rose and mirror don't fall into her hands."

"Fine, I won't let her get her hands on them, but I have to find Belle." Adam said as he placed a glass bottom under the bell jar so the rose wouldn't fall out. He wrapped the bell jar with the handkerchief and placed the mirror and the jar in another wrapped cloth and placed it on his back, like a backpack. He also packed a few other things, silverware, plates, matches and candles. Adam climbed down the castle and ran across the bridge. The Enchantress soon disappeared when Adam entered the forest. He was pleased that he had his beastly body so he could find Belle. When he saw those ruins in the mirror, he knew intensely where it was.

* * *

The ruins were once a tall mansion that belonged to his mother's family. After his father died, Adam's mother used to bring him to see her family for family reunions. One day, the kitchen caught fire and burned the house down. The family tried to rebuild the mansion, but didn't find the heart to do it because Adam's mother, the queen, died a couple weeks after the fire.

* * *

When Adam arrived at the ruins, memories of the place started to return to Adam's mind. He didn't want to remember the past, not just because of the curse, he didn't want to remember his parents. Adam just shook his furry head and went through the ruins.

"Belle! Belle! I know you're here, Belle. Answer me!" Adam growled, but he could hear nothing; silence was in the air. Suddenly, there was a loud screech in the air. He jumped for the screech startled him. Adam looked in the air, there was giant black bat coming at him. He quickly moved out of the way as the bat swung its wing, like a sword, at him. The bat's wing got stuck into the ground at first, but it was quickly pulled out and the bat continued to attack Adam.

"What do you want with Belle Arc-en-ciel, you beast?!" the bat asked, Adam could tell by the voice the bat was female.

"Why does that matter to someone like yourself?" Adam asked.

"Because Belle is my cousin!" the bat shouted as it lunged at Adam, that's when Adam realized that the giant black bat was Tintement!

"Wait, Tintement, it's me, Adam!" he quickly said before she lunged again.

"You can't be Belle's prince, you're nowhere near one!" Tintement said as she swung her wing, but Adam dodged it and the wing was rammed into a column. Tintement tried to pull her wing out of the column, but it was stuck. Adam knew she would attack him if he helped her, but he didn't want Belle to think he just left her there. He grabbed Tintement's wing and pulled it out of the column. Just then, She swung her other wing and slammed Adam into another column. The column started to crumble and started falling, Tintement quickly got away, but Adam didn't move as quickly as she did because he was still shaken from the force.

Just then, the column was caught a couple inches from Adam's back, where he was carrying the bell jar. Adam looked up at the column; it was quickly swung away from the area.

"Adam?" said a female voice, When Adam heard that voice, he quickly jumped onto his wolf feet. That voice belonged to Belle. He was expecting to see Belle's face; instead he was faced with another giant bat with two pairs of fangs and four horns on top of her head (two of the horns were the ears), but this bat was silver and white and had the same brown eyes as Belle does.

"Belle?" Adam asked, the white bat smiled and shook her head 'yes'.

* * *

_I hope this story isn't boring anybody. I'm just a little disappointed that I've only gotten one review this past few chapters. I hope to able to have enough reviews to convince me otherwise...or the last chapter I'll put up is the 12th._


	12. Chapter 12

Nothing could express how happy Adam was, he didn't care Belle was a bat; they were together again. He embraced her with his beastly arms and she embraced him back with her bat wings/hands.

"You weren't fooling around when you said that you become a bat at night." Adam said.

"I'm just happy that you were able to recognize me," Belle said, "but what happened to you? You're a...a..." Belle couldn't say the word, mainly because she didn't want to make Adam upset.

"I know," he sighed, "I was so upset and sad that you were gone, I would rather be in this body again than not having you with me anymore." When Belle heard that, she blushed. She was happy that her fur was hiding the blush.

"I'm...sorry for vanishing on you." she softly said.

"I understand why you did, I've never seen you that scared." he said, "but you didn't tell me that your step-grandmother was a harsh smoker."

"She still smokes?" Tintement interrupted, "Oh brother!"

"Tintement, isn't there something you should say to Adam?" Belle asked.

"What might that be?" Tintement asked, Belle knew that her cousin wasn't stupid, but she's known for avoiding subjects.

"You should apologize to Adam for attacking him." Belle said.

"I ain't going to do that and you can't make me!" Tintement said, another thing Belle knew her cousin was known for was not giving for apologizing. Belle was going make sure that Tintement apologized. Belle gave her cousin this sinister smile and Tintement's face dropped.

"Uh-oh." Tintement said, she tried to run off, but it was too late. Belle slammed her bat foot on Tintement's tail. Tintement screeched so loud, Adam had to cover his ears.

"You apologize right now and I'll get off your tail!" Belle said.

"Okay, okay, okay," Tintement quickly said in pain, "I'm sorry!" Adam quickly forgave Tintement so that Belle would get off her tail. Belle released Tintement's tail; she grabbed her tail and pulled it off the ground. Adam was really surprised about Belle's actions; she wasn't acting like herself, but considering that she wasn't human, he almost expected Belle to act like an animal. After all, he's been an animal for ten years.

"You are quite a tough person, Belle." Adam said.

"Only when I want to be," Belle said, "Anyway, how were you able to find me?"

"I still have the magic mirror." he explained.

"That explains that, but what do you have in that sack?" Belle asked. Adam could see that Belle was getting curious, so he took his sack off his back and uncovered the mirror and the bell jar that held the enchanted rose.

"Didn't that rose die when you changed back into a human?" Belle asked.

"It was." Adam said, Belle could sense that he didn't want to talk about it.

"You know;" she said, "you don't have to tell me what happened to you if you don't want to."

"I think...it's right that I tell you," he said, "since you told me about your curse."

"All right, I'm listening." Belle said. Adam told Belle how he became a beast in the first place, from when the enchantress came on Christmas to when Belle came along. She was quite surprised, but she was happy to have known.

"So...you were a spoiled brat?" She asked.

"More like a spoiled rotten pain." He said.

"What caused you to become that way?" Belle asked, Adam winced when she asked him that. He just sat in silence, Belle could sense that he didn't want to talk about it.

"You don't have to tell me," Belle softly said, "I won't push you." Adam looked at Belle and smiled. It didn't take long for Tintement to interrupt again.

"Belle, we need to find something to eat." Tintement said.

"She's right," Belle said, "we haven't eaten since noon."

"There's a river not too far from here." Adam said, he was getting hungry too.

"Then let's go fishing." Belle happily said as Adam lead the way to the river. Tintement could see the love between him and her cousin, she hopes they could be together forever, but first she and Belle and to break their curse. As they arrived at the river, the fish were swimming against the water's current. Adam sat on the riverbank, as Belle and Tintement were ready to strike at a fish. Adam raised his paw and swiped a fish out of the water and onto the land. Belle and Tintement nabbed two fish in their feet as they dived towards the water. In total, the three of them caught twelve fish, four for each of them. They carried the fish back to the ruins and Adam lit a fire with his matches he brought. The fish simmered and cooked as the fire grew hotter. Belle looked through the rest of Adam's pack and took out the plates and silverware. When the fish were done, Adam and Belle placed their fish on their plates while Tintement ate it with her hands.

"Tintement, for heaven's sake, use a fork!" Belle said frustratedly.

"We're animals, Belle! We eat like animals!" Tintement argued.

"You might eat like an animal because you lost almost all your humanity," Belle said supporting her point, "but as long as I still have mine, I will eat with a fork!" Adam found it funny to see Tintement throw little fits and Belle not getting riled up, unlike himself, but he did whatever he could not to laugh. He stuffed his beastly face full of fish so he wouldn't laugh. After that little fit with Tintement, Belle went back to eating her fish with silverware. While eating, Belle spoke to Adam.

"Adam, I think it's best if you go back to the castle." Belle said. Adam almost choked when he heard that.

"What?" Adam growled surprisingly.

"Adam, try to calm down," she said, "I don't want Fiona and Celia to get any ideas that you know where we are. They could use you in order to find us!"

"We can't take that kind of risk!" Tintement said with her mouth full, "They find us; we're dead!"

"*groan* Tintement, for heaven's sake, don't talk with your mouth full!" Belle said.

"Humph!" Tintement said as she swallowed her food. Belle turned her attention back to Adam.

"But do you understand what I'm telling you, Adam?" she asked.

"I do, I really do." he said.

"I know; you don't want to leave me." Belle said, "But it's for the best that you keep your visits secretive...or..."

"Or...?" Adam asked.

"I could come back to the castle." She said.

"Are you plain stupid, Belle!" Tintement shouted, "You know darn well that if Fiona sees either one of us, she'll try to kills us again!"

"I do plan to be careful!" Belle shouted back.

"I'm trying to protect us and you're trying to put our lives on the line!" Tintement continued shouting.

"I'm not going to, Tintement. You just don't understand!" Belle shouted.

"What part is it that I don't understand?" Tintement asked.

"You don't know what it's like to be in love!" Belle said, trying to make her point, but hearing that made Tintement angry with her.

"Belle," Tintement growled, "I lost my parents as a child! I never got that family love from anyone but you! Who would fall in love with a human bat such as myself, or should I say ourselves?" 'Wow' went through Adam's mind when he saw Tintement's anger, he couldn't believe it. He thought that he had anger problems, but Belle remained as calm as she could.

"I'm sorry, Tintement. I didn't mean to stretch it that far." Belle said, Tintement just growled and turned her back to Belle and Adam. Adam cleared his throat as he looked into the sky.

"Either it's my eyes...or the moon is gone." Adam said, Belle and Tintement looked into the sky, the moon was leaving the sky. They knew it was a sign that the sun was coming.

"Adam, go back to the castle," Belle said, "you need to sleep. I swear I'll be fine." As much as Adam hated the idea, he agreed to go back to the castle. Before Adam left, he left the enchanted rose with Belle so that Fiona wouldn't get her hands on it. Belle made sure that she would take good care of it. Belle and Adam wanted to kiss each other, but because their fangs are in the way of their mouths, they rubbed their noses and foreheads with each other, kind of like a horse. Adam placed the mirror in his black suit and ran back to the castle, Belle held the enchanted rose near her as she watched Adam leave.

* * *

When he arrived back at the castle, Adam climbed up the walls and went into the balcony door to the west wing. Now that Adam knows where Belle was, he was able relax and most of the sadness from his heart had left. He placed the mirror on the table next to his bed and went to sleep on the bed, since he was up all night with Belle and Tintement. It wasn't long until he was a deep sleep, but after going to the ruins of his mother's old mansion, he started seeing images of his parents, King Henry Colère and Queen Lydia Porc-épic. Seeing her was making Adam wanting to wake up, it was almost like he was in a bad dream where he couldn't wake up. He was seeing every image, even ones before he was born.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hello again, readers! I hope you're enjoying this. Since I did a back story on Belle's mother, I decided to do it again for Adam's parents. If anyone wonders about this chapter, don't worry I did my research. Just a little quick note, if you remember the last chapter, this flashback is from Adam's dreams. I hope that this chapter won't scare anyone! If it does, let me know and I'll change it.  
_

* * *

Lydia Porc-épic was a strong woman, like Belle's mother, Veronica Arc-en-ciel, but she always made sure that her son came first. Adam's father, King Henry Colère, wasn't anywhere near like his wife. He was a very abusive and very controlling man, just like his father, grandfather and ancestors before them, but everything changed in that family when Henry met Lydia.

Lydia was a milkmaid, with flowing harsh-red hair, ocean/sky blue eyes and wore yellow and purple lipstick, on her family farm during the day, but at night she was a beautiful (and hot) waitress in a fancy restaurant where the rich men take their wives and girlfriends. Lydia thought it would be better to work in a restaurant than a tavern where the men controlled women and who knows what else. In fact, it was in that restaurant where King Henry saw and met Lydia for the first time.  
Lydia was the waitress for King Henry when he came to that restaurant with his fifth girlfriend. At the time, King Henry had his face in the menu when Lydia arrived at the table. While she was taking their orders, Henry placed his menu down and saw Lydia. He started to drool to have a beautiful woman, like Lydia, in his arms...and bed. After Lydia left the table, all Henry was able to talk about was Lydia, nothing about his girlfriend. That just ticked the girlfriend off and she left. When Lydia returned with their meals, King Henry grabbed Lydia's arm and kissed her. The plates of food fell to the ground as Henry continued to kiss her. Lydia wasn't too pleased, nor too happy, about what the king was doing. So, she slapped his face in order to get him off her, Lydia didn't know at first she slapped the king, until everyone froze in fear. Anyone who knew King Henry Colère always feared him and his family. Henry got up, looked at Lydia and smiled.

"Do you realize that you just slapped the king of this land?" Henry asked, Lydia put on a fake thinking look.

"King Henry Colère? Hmm, oh yes, I know you. You're the pathetic excuse of a man in king's clothing!" Lydia said, everybody in that restaurant couldn't believe Lydia said that to the king. Henry grew angry and slapped Lydia's face. Her face was turned by the slap, nothing else moved. She looked at Henry, touched the area she was slapped and looked at her hand, seeing if there was blood. She smiled sarcastically as she looked back at Henry.

"Is that how you got everything you ever wanted? How pathetic!" Lydia said, she took the chance to insult him again. As mentioned, Lydia was a strong woman. She wasn't known for taking orders, except for the restaurant. King Henry just got even more mad and ordered that Lydia be thrown into his dungeon. That's exactly what happened, but Lydia didn't scream and she didn't fight. In fact, Lydia was thrown into the same dungeon Belle was (when she went to get a Christmas tree). Lydia would sit in her cell under the light of the sun, moon and stars. When the servants would bring her little meals, Lydia would just be sitting there with her eyes closed. They couldn't tell if she was asleep, meditating or even dead. Whenever they opened the cell door, Lydia would say the same set of words.

"No, I'm not dead," Lydia would say, "I'm not sleeping and I know you are there. The only person you have to be scared of is that pathetic king of yours." Not only were the servants impressed about her behavior, so was King Henry. Sometimes Henry would go with his servants so he could watch Lydia, he saw her in her sitting form with her eyes closed. She would never speak whenever he was at the dungeon door. He finally noticed that he wasn't able to break a strong woman like Lydia, so, instead of releasing her or killing her, King Henry decided to marry Lydia Porc-épic. Everyone in the castle and in the kingdom couldn't believe it, Lydia couldn't believe it either, she was trying to avoid that. There was nothing for Lydia to do; she married King Henry, much to her disappointment. Queen Lydia did whatever she could to ignore her husband. King Henry always got what he wanted and he was going to make sure that Lydia would do what he said.  
One night, Lydia almost lost her life because her husband drank wine until he was so drunk that he became a real monster. He beated her with anything he could find, pushed her down the stairs and...did the worst thing for any woman to go through and...I think we know what that is.

* * *

After that night, Lydia got pregnant with Adam. She wasn't too happy about being pregnant. Lydia thought about giving the baby up when it was born, only because she didn't want her child to become like her husband. Nine months later, her son was born. Lydia didn't want to see him, she didn't even want to hold him, but Lydia's mother forced the baby into her daughter's arms. When Lydia looked at her son and her son looked back at her, the motherly instincts kicked in. Lydia couldn't give up her son, Adam. At first, Henry was happy that he had a son, but as Adam grew up, his father started to beat him because Adam wasn't acting like his father. Adam wasn't acting like the abusive person like his father was. Since Adam became very fearful, he didn't trust anybody but his mother because she always protected him. Other people Adam trusted were Cogsworth and Lumiere, when they were around twenty, and Mrs. Potts, before she had Chip. As a child, Adam did whatever he could to stay away from his violent father, but one night he had to in order to save his mother's life.  
When Adam was six years old, he heard his parents arguing. He peeked through the doors of his mother's room, he saw that his father, King Henry, was in a drunken rage and was beating his mother. He pulled out his hunting knife and held it against Lydia's throat. She couldn't move because the blade was so close, any movement would slice her neck and end her life. Adam couldn't stand seeing his mother in that position, he didn't care that it was his father beating Lydia. Adam ran into the room, grabbed a hold of his father's leg and bit down...hard. King Henry shouted from the pain in his leg, he released his wife and went after his own son. Adam's father broke a piece of the canopy bed, held his son against the wall and started beating Adam with the bed wood piece. Just seeing that was enough to put Lydia in a state of fury, she opened her drawer, pulled out her personal pistol and shot her husband. The bullet hit Henry, but it also hit Adam. The shot went through Henry's heart and hit Adam's arm (the same area where he was bitten by the wolf) and lodged into the wall. Henry dropped Adam and fell to the floor, blood pooling around the hole in his chest; he was dead. Adam was in a lot of pain from the bullet wound, he ran towards his mother's arms and cried on her shoulder. Lydia did whatever she could to cover her son's eyes from the horrid sight.  
After all that happened, the servants took King Henry's body and buried him under a village street. Since Henry liked to treat and walk on people like they were dirt, let's see how he felt about it. After she shot and killed her husband, Lydia tended to her son's wound on his arm. She was happy that they didn't have to fear Henry anymore, but she was dead inside because the bullet hit her son. Adam could see the tears falling off his mother's face, he tried to make her feel better, he smiled at her and embraced her with his whole heart. Lydia felt a little better about the situation, but she felt much more relief when her son started moving his arm normally again.

* * *

Time went on and Queen Lydia Porc-épic raised Adam on her own. She taught Adam just about everything, writing, archery, shooting and his roles in royalty, despite her own roles of being a queen and despite Cogsworth always wanting to butt in when it came to teaching Adam the roles in royalty. Lydia was starting to teach her son how to read a little before her family's reunion. That reunion was the night the kitchen caught fire and burned the mansion down. Lydia brought her son for the big reunion and dinner with her family; they had the reunion once every year. The family consisted of Lydia's parents, her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Everyone was having fun enjoying everyone's company and enjoying dinner, but when dessert was cooking in the kitchen, a kitchen cloth hanging above the stove fell and caught fire. Smoke filled every room of the house, everyone, but the children, including Adam, got out of the house. The children were scared because they couldn't see anything through the smoke; they were all in the family room, far away from the kitchen.  
When the adults realized that the children were still inside the house, they tried to find a way back inside the burning house, but the smoke blinded them and they couldn't see anything. Lydia didn't think Adam was still in the house, until she heard him yelling for her.

"MAMA! MAMA!" 8-year-old Adam shouted. When Lydia heard her son's voice coming from the burning mansion, she tried to go back into the house. Lydia's parents tried to prevent her to go inside the house, but nothing was going to keep her from saving her only child. She jumped through a window and went into the brunt of the fire. The smoke had blinded her eyes, so instead of relying on her eyes, Lydia used her hearing to find the children. Lydia kicked down the door of the family room, the children bundled themselves near a window. When Adam saw his mother, she gathered him in her arms. Lydia went to the wall and kicked it down, the wall fell and everyone ran outside. The children ran into their parents', Lydia's cousins, arms. Lydia placed Adam on the ground on his feet. She then fell to her knees and fell the rest of the way to the ground.

* * *

After that, Adam was treated for a few burns and they healed. In fact, it was because of the fire that Adam's skin is a touch darker than Belle's. Adam's mother was having a harder time with her healing; her lungs were damaged and had many burns on her body from going into the burning house. Lydia rarely got out of bed because she was in a lot of pain. She also had to lay on her stomach because her back was burned the worst. Everyday, Adam would spend his day with his ailing mother. Lunchtime, 12:00, was the only time of day, besides nighttime, Adam couldn't be with his mother because around that time he had to be out of the room so the servants would put medicine on Lydia's burns. Adam would be sitting in the dining room and would be able to hear his mother's shouts of pain as the medicine was placed. Two weeks passed and Adam's mother wasn't getting any better. In fact, it was Adam's ninth birthday during the second week after the fire. His only wish was that his mother would no longer be in any pain, his mother smiled at that reply.

"Adam, you don't have to worry so much about me." Lydia softly said.

"How can I not?" Adam asked, "If I weren't caught in the fire, you wouldn't be like this."

"Son, it's not your fault." Lydia said, "Before I forget, look under my bed." Adam looked under his mother's bed; there was a box with a blue ribbon on it. He pulled it out and laid it on his lap. Lydia told him to open it; he removed the ribbon and opened the box. There was a locket, a heart-shaped locket with a yellow stone in the middle.

"It's one of a few family heirlooms, Adam." Lydia explained, "It was mainly passed from mother to daughter, I think it was time to break it and give it to you."

"I'll make sure to take well care of it, mama." Adam said.

"I know you will." Lydia softly said, "Remember this, my son, no matter what you do with the rest of your life, you could never, NEVER EVER, disappoint me." Everyday, Adam wore the heart-shaped locket around his neck. Suddenly, another two weeks later, he found every servant around the door of his mother's room. Adam didn't want to believe it; he ran through the servants and listened through the door. Cogsworth was saying that the Queen was going to die soon. He barged the door open and ran to his mother's side, the servants tried to stop him, but the queen spoke and they released him. Adam went over to his mother's bedside; her breathing was really shallow. Tears swarmed his face as his mother opened his eyes and placed her hand on her son's face.

"Mama!" Adam cried.

"Adam, I know I might not be here physically," Lydia weakly said, "but I'm still here in your heart." Lydia turned her attention to Cogsworth, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts. "Cogsworth, make sure my son is well taken care of...or I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life!"

"*gulp* Yes, my queen." Cogsworth said nervously.

"Lumiere, make sure you give Adam the advice he needs." Lydia said.

"Of course, your highness." Lumiere said.

"Mrs. Potts..." Lydia paused.

"Yes, my queen?" Mrs. Potts said, Lydia weakly took in a deep breath.

"Make sure that you're there for...for Adam like I was." Lydia said.

"I'll make sure of that, my queen." Mrs. Potts said, Lydia looked back at her son; Adam's face was covered with tears. She coughed and spoke one more time.

"Adam, I'm...always here." Lydia finally said as her eyes closed and her hand fell from her son's face, she was now gone. Adam yelled out for his mother.

"MAMA!" Adam yelled as he woke up from the dream and was back in real time, he quickly sat up and was breathing hard. He thought he got rid of those harsh times from growing up, but he guessed that they would never leave.

* * *

_This chapter made me cry trying to make it, I hope it wasn't too terribly sad. I say it again don't worry, I did my research. Restaurants did exist during the 17th century. So don't bite my head off.  
_


	14. Chapter 14

When Adam woke up, he looked in the magic mirror; he was still in his beastly form. He did say that he didn't want his human form unless Belle was back to him. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Adam said in his beastly voice. The door opened, Cogsworth came in with breakfast.

"I brought you some breakfast, sire," Cogsworth said.

"Just leave it on the table." Adam said as he stared out the window, Cogsworth dropped off the plates and left the room. Adam got out of bed and looked under his bed, he pulled out a box with a blue ribbon. It was the same box that held his mother's yellow topaz locket; Adam opened the box. The locket was untouched by time, the stone was still shining and the metal locket wasn't rusted. Adam didn't want to wear the locket because he was still trying to get over his mother's death and it was forgotten. He took it out of the box and tried to place it around his large furry neck, but the chain was too small to go around his furry neck. So, Adam carefully slid the locket off the chain and tied to his cloak to be used as a fastener. After that, he walked to the table and ate his breakfast; it didn't feel the same without Belle sitting across from him.

* * *

Just then, there was a noise from the balcony. Adam looked at the doors, they were closed and nothing was out there. He went back to eating, there was the noise again. It was like a pecking sound. Adam got up, opened the doors and walked onto the balcony, but there was nothing there. Suddenly, a large white feather fell in front of him; he grabbed the feather and looked at it. Adam didn't recognize the feather; he looked up. He was faced with a large white and silver bird. Adam got startled and walked back inside.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Adam." said a female voice. When Adam heard that voice, he knew who it was.

"Belle, is that you?" Adam asked, just then, the bird jumped onto the balcony.

"Who else would I be?" she said, "May I come in?"

"You don't have ask, Belle, come in." he said, Belle walked inside the west wing and Adam had a better look at her bird form. Belle almost looked like a harpy, the mythological monster where women look half human and half bird. Belle had her human body, she was just covered in white and silver feathers and she also had wings with five talons instead of five fingers on her feathered hands. Instead of a human mouth and nose, she had a small bird beak. Belle had her human legs, covered in feathers, but her feet belonged more to a falcon or an eagle. She also still had her brown eyes with her blue ribbon tied around her neck.

"I...hope you don't think of me any different." Belle said as she looked at herself.

"You never thought of me any different when I changed back into a human. Why should I do that to you?" Adam explained, "Whether you're a bird, a bat or a human, you're still Belle to me." Belle smiled and blushed again, her neck turned red. Adam noticed, but he didn't say anything.

"Just like whether you're a beast or a human, you're still Adam to me." she said.

"*sigh* I wish you back living in the castle again, it's not the same without you." he said.

"I know, I'm getting sick of my cousin's horrid manners. Your manners are far better than hers, Tintement's just getting worse by the day." Belle explained.

"Well, unless you've already eaten, I have breakfast on this table." Adam pointed to the table.

"You think you have enough to share?" she asked.

"Of course, you know how much food Chef Bouche likes to cook." he said.

"True." Belle said as she walked over to the table. Adam sat next to Belle as she tried to pick up her fork. He could see how much Belle was struggling to hold the silverware.

"Maybe, just this once, you can ignore your manners since...you are having trouble with holding the silverware." Adam said, Belle looked at him and back to her wings. Adam could see that Belle was thinking about it.

" I just don't want to be in Tintement's position." Belle explained.

"You helped me with my humanity, it's my turn to help you." Adam said, Belle looked at Adam and smiled. She finally gave up with using silverware and ate with her hands. Just so Belle didn't feel uncomfortable, Adam also ate with his hands as well.

* * *

Outside the door, Cogsworth came to get the dirty breakfast dishes from his master's room, but just about he was going to knock on the door, he heard a shatter. Cogsworth peeked through the keyhole; he didn't want to believe what his eyes were telling him. Cogsworth was seeing his master with a giant white bird; he didn't know the bird creature was Belle. As for Belle and Adam, Belle accidentally broke one of the plates.

"Mrs. Potts, isn't going to like this." Belle said.

"Belle, it was just an accident." Adam said as he picked up the broken pieces of the plate. Just then, Cogsworth burst into the room with a large candle holder in his hands. Belle and Adam separated themselves before Cogsworth could hit one of them. He went towards Belle and swung the candle holder, but she flew out the window before Cogsworth could hit her.

"No, Belle! Don't leave me again!" Adam said as he watched Belle go out the window.

"Belle?" Cogsworth surprisingly asked. Adam ran to the window, hoping that Belle didn't fly away. He looked around; he saw Belle latching herself on the castle outside wall. Adam saw the same scared look she had on her face when her step-grandmother made her appearance. Belle looked at Adam and, with her talons, pointed downwards. He looked down; there was Fiona and Celia standing on one of the balconies. They could hear their conversations.

"Where could she have hidden that infernal piece?" Fiona said as she looked out into the forest.

"Mother, don't get so upset!" Celia said as she came up behind her mother.

"I'm not upset...yet!" She said, " I want Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life! I already have one half of it; I need the other half!"

"Even if you do get the clarinet, what do you plan to do with it?" Celia asked. Fiona made and evil chuckle and looked at her daughter.

"That's the surprise, my beloved daughter. First things first, I need to get that locket away from Belle!" Fiona said.

"She probably has it hidden and you don't even know where she is, how are you going to get it?" Celia said. Her mother just made an evil laugh as she and Celia walked back inside the castle. Adam grabbed Belle's wing and brought her back inside where Cogsworth was trying to believe that the human bird was Belle.

"Sir, how can you tell that's Belle?" Cogsworth asked.

"No one has the same soft brown eyes as Belle does." Adam explained, "She managed to know I was the beast because of my blue eyes; I can do the same thing back to her."

"Then, mademoiselle, how did you get this way?" Cogsworth asked Belle.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you." Belle said.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear!" Cogsworth said. Belle gave in and told Cogsworth what had happened to her and her cousin, Tintement, when they were children, how their step-grandmother tried to kill them and their aunt placed the spell on them.

"Cogsworth, you can't tell anyone!" Adam said.

"I don't plan to," Cogsworth said, "not when it involves Belle's life on the line.

"Thank you, Cogsworth." Belle said, "Right now, I need to find out about this item they are after."

"I've never heard of 'Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life'." Cogsworth said.

"That's because it's not from 'your' world." said a female voice. Everyone jumped when they heard the voice, but Adam was the only one who recognized it.

"You appear when questions need to be answered." Adam said to the voice.

"I like easing your minds." said the voice. Everyone looked in a corner; the enchantress was leaning against the corner, playing cat's cradle with her hands.

"Someone you know, Adam?" Belle asked as she stared at the enchantress.

"Yes," Adam answered as he turned his attention to Cogsworth, "Cogsworth, leave now. Remember not to tell anything." Cogsworth shook his head 'yes' and left the room in a hurry; the enchantress placed her cat's cradle string in her sleeve and looked at Adam and Belle.

"Adam, who is she?" Belle asked, the enchantress couldn't tell the truth to Belle, at least, not yet.

"I'm just an old friend." The enchantress said.

"You were talking about that instrument?" Adam asked, hoping to get back on track.

"Yes." The enchantress sighed as she swirled her magic around and images of "Gabriella's Clarinet of Life" (which was a pink clarinet) was shown through the magic dust.

"Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life is not just an instrument; it is also one of six items that holds Gabrielle's power." The enchantress explained.

"If you don't me asking, " Belle said, "who _is_ Gabrielle?"

"Gabrielle." The enchantress paused, sighed and continued the story, "a brave woman she was and unusual. She was born into a powerful family of sorcerers and sorceresses, but Gabrielle was more interested in her music than her magic. She soon found out that she had the power of music and stored the power within six of her most treasured items. Her Clarinet of Life was one of the items that held her power, but she left our world of magic and went to live here, in the world of humans.

"You mean...there are more of you?" Belle asked.

"In a whole other world?" Adam added.

"Yes," the enchantress answered, "but we mainly use our powers for good, but back to what I was saying, it wasn't long until a darkhearted sorcerer caught sight of Gabrielle, but she wasn't interested, her true love was her music. Somehow, he found out about her magical clarinet and decided to use it for his own gain."

"He stole her clarinet?" Adam asked.

"Yes," she said, "and blew music through it's valves and mouthpiece. The magical music turned dark and almost threatened the lives and worlds of people and sorcerers and sorceresses. We all tried to defeat the sorcerer, but he was too powerful because he held onto Gabrielle's clarinet. Gabrielle charged him and defeated him.

"How?" Belle asked, always wanting to hear more of the story.

"Gabrielle fought him, took back her clarinet and blew through its mouthpiece and valves. The magical music became light and was beautiful as it was heard through both worlds. Goodness and happiness returned to both worlds, the darkhearted sorceress was drained of his powers was sent down to a place where every evil soul is trapped, the Pit of Darkness and Fire." The enchantress said.

"So...what happened next?" Adam asked.

"After Gabrielle realized how much danger the two worlds were in," the enchantress continued, "with a heavy heart, she broke her clarinet in half so it couldn't be used unless it was back together. She also scattered the her six treasured items between the world of humans and magic. But, because of her unhappy and heavy heart of losing the items of her beautiful power, she died from sadness. The Clarinet of Life was the only one of the six that we've found and every sorcerer and sorceress did whatever they could to protect the two halves, but it has fallen into the hands of evil...twice."

"So what did they do to make sure that it was protected?" Belle asked.

"Two lockets were made that would held the places where the two halves were kept." The enchantress said as she made her magic image disappear, "As the years went by, two guardians were chosen to hold the lockets. A new guardian is chosen when the old guardian had passed away."

"So who are the guardians of the lockets now?" Adam asked.

"Nobody knows now." The enchantress said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Belle asked.

"The old guardians had passed away some years ago in this world and their lockets went missing." The enchantress said.

"So...who were the guardians before?" Belle asked, "You would happen to know...don't you?"

"Of course," the enchantress said as she sighed sadly, "They were my best and closest friends."

"What were their names?" Belle asked, the enchantress started to cry because the guardians were her closest friends. She could see that Adam and Belle wanted to know. So the enchantress opened her mouth and said their names.

"V-V-Veronica Arc-en-ceil and Lydia Porc-épic."


	15. Chapter 15

Belle almost collapsed, Adam just sat down on his bed. They couldn't believe it, their mothers were guardians to one of the most powerful objects in life.

"Veronica Arc-en-ceil...?" Belle said, breathing slowly.

"And...Lydia Porc-épic?" Adam asked.

"Yes," the enchantress said as she wiped her eyes, "they were my closest friends, even if they were wild and...somewhat out of control."

"Meaning what?" Adam asked.

"Well, let me start with Veronica." The enchantress explained, "She was a sorceress who knew how and enjoyed her powers of color and light, but when she was a child, her parents weren't the best of role models. Her parents very rarely paid any attention to her, mainly because they weren't getting along. Because Veronica was getting anything from her parents, she started running away, drinking so much wine and alcohol and smoking so much tobacco."

"She smoked and drunk?" Belle asked, not believing that her mother did that sort of behavior.

"She did," the enchantress answered, "enough where she almost lost her voice. There were times that her mother had to drag Veronica back to her home, but Veronica wasn't going to have any of it. Finally, after dealing with parents for so long, Veronica stood up to her parents, actually fought them and left the world of magic to this world, but not after she gave her father a broken arm, her mother a black eye and then she stole her locket, the sapphire blue locket that held a place where one half of the clarinet was hidden. After she left, Lydia vanished too." The enchantress sighed as she remembered Lydia. "Lydia...I couldn't believe her behavior."

"Why is that?" Adam asked as he breathed deeply.

"Lydia," the enchantress explained more, "being a sorceress of the dreaded porcupine, had the power of spikes and spines. Lydia was known for being a tough woman, mainly because she fought for a living."

"As in...what?" Adam asked.

"As in _actual fighting_!" she said, "Lydia fought women _and_ men with her bare hands. She always said that she had to prove a point that women could do what men can do. Nothing could hold Lydia down, until...one day she vanished. I assumed that she did what Veronica did, go and live this world. I tried to look for both of them since...they were my friends, but I could never find them. Suddenly after twenty-five long years, they appeared back in the world of magic. When I saw Veronica and Lydia, I couldn't believe how much they changed, they were no longer the harsh sorceresses that I knew growing up. They would come every Saturday and Sunday so we could catch up, even though Lydia still liked to pick a playful fight once in a while and Veronica was the one always relieving Lydia's need of a fight."

"I can't believe it!" Belle said after the enchantress finished.

"Neither could I." Adam replied.

"It didn't surprise me too much though," the enchantress added, "the only thing that stayed the same is Veronica always relieving Lydia's want of a fight."

"It's...not that." Belle said.

"Then...what is it?" she asked.

"Would you believe us if we told you?" Adam said.

"Maybe." The enchantress said.

"My last name's Arc-en-ceil." Belle finally admitted.

"What?" The enchantress asked, she couldn't believe it!

"My mother's name was Veronica Arc-en-ceil." Belle continued. The enchantress couldn't believe what she just heard, the daughter of one of her closest friends was standing in front of her.

"You're...Veronica's daughter?" the enchantress asked.

"Yes," Belle answered, "I don't look like a human because of a spell my aunt placed on me and my cousin."

"Oh my goodness gracious!" the enchantress exclaimed, "I can't believe this, but it does explain why she stopped coming back to my world. Once a sorceress has a child, let's just say it's their greatest treasure in the world. A sorcerer and a sorceress will do anything to protect their child."

"You said the name 'Lydia Porc-épic'." Adam said.

"I did, it's hard for me _not_ to forget her. Lydia was such a tough woman, even men feared her." The enchantress explained.

"And...she was _my mother_!" Adam added. The enchantress's eyes shrunk, she was really worried and a little embarrassed. The children of her best friends were standing in front of her and she placed a spell on one of them.

"Oh my goodness gracious!" The enchantress said.

"That's the second time you've said that." Belle noticed.

"I always say that when I'm surprised or shocked. I can't believe it, my friends' children are standing right in front of me and I placed a spell on one of them. For once, I'm glad Lydia isn't around to know." The enchantress explained.

"Wait, you're the one who turned Adam into a beast?" Belle asked, the enchantress's face turned red.

"Yes, I am, as a matter of fact." The enchantress answered.

"You don't have to tell me the details, Adam already told me." Belle said, "Besides, I didn't know much about mother's life, now I now why."

"Same with my mother," Adam said, "she didn't want to talk about before she met my father. Something we both have in common."

"You wouldn't happen to know Fiona, do you?" Belle asked the Enchantress.

"*scoff* Who doesn't?" said the enchantress, "She's a serpent sorceress! Fiona does everything she can to get what she wants, whether it's good or bad!"

"A serpent sorceress?" Belle asked.

"Yes," the enchantress answered, "A sorceress having the power of snakes, she can even transform herself into a serpent monster if she wanted to. Fiona was such a great danger that she was banished from my world."

"Well, she's now here in this castle and is my papa's stepmother!" Belle said.

"We also overheard her saying that she found one half of the Clarinet." Adam added.

"What! How?" the enchantress asked in shock.

"We don't know, but we know that Fiona needs my mother's locket in order to find the other half!" Belle said.

"Then she must have the half that Lydia was guarding, the horn. Lydia was known for leaving things out in the open. This isn't good!" the enchantress said, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"Fiona probably won't leave until she finds the other half." Adam said.

"Then I should leave now." Belle said, Adam just looked at her. He knew it was for the best, but that didn't mean he didn't have to like it. "If Fiona finds out that I'm here, she'll do whatever she can to get my mother's locket and find out where the other half of the Clarinet. Who knows what she might do if she does get it?" Belle knew that Adam was upset that she had to leave again, but instead of opening his mouth again, he just raised his paw and placed it on her left cheek. The enchantress turned her back so they wouldn't feel like they were being stared at. Belle held Adam's forearm, blinked her eyes and looked at his eyes. Adam leaned in and kissed her forehead, since his fangs and Belle's small beak were in the way. After that, Belle walked out to the balcony, flapped her wings and took off. Adam watched her sadly take off with the enchantress still standing in the room.

"You really do love her." The enchantress said.

"She's the first person that I was able to love since mother died." Adam said.

"At least, you have someone that feels the same way about you." she said.

"And I don't want to give that up for anything else." he said.

"I'll leave you for now," the enchantress said, "but if you need anything, ask the rose or the mirror." The enchantress disappeared in a cloud of smoke; Adam became depressed again because Belle was gone again. He knew Belle had a good reason, but he feels like he can't live without her.

* * *

Don't think Fiona and Celia are cut out, after their little talk on the balcony; they went back to their room to continue the discussion.

"Mother, is it that important that you get the Clarinet?" Celia asked.

"As a matter of fact, IT IS!" Fiona boomed, she scared Celia enough where she jumped, "Those other horrid sorcerers and sorceresses, thinking that I was a lowly no-life and Lady Temps banishing me from my home! I'll show them all, once I have Gabrielle's Clarinet; I'll show them who's the lowly no-life around here!" Fiona evilly laughed. While her mother was talking out her vocal cords, Celia tried to pretend that she was listening, but she couldn't stand her mother. She rolled her eyes as her mother was laughing, but out of the corner of her eye, Celia saw Belle, her niece, fly out of the castle. She pretended that she didn't see it, but her mother notice things quickly.

"My daughter, did you see something?" Fiona asked.

"No." Celia calmly said, but her mother grew an evil smile as her eyes turned red.

"Then why did your eyes glance over to the window with a startled look?" Fiona asked. Celia stammered and almost went silent, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut when her mother was staring right into her eyes. She spoke and said that she saw Belle fly out of the castle.

"That accursed brat!" Fiona said as anger raged through her blood red eyes, "That wretched mother of hers, Veronica, she continues to haunt and taunt me as her daughter wears that locket around her human neck!"

"What can you do?" Celia asked, "As long as Belle has the locket, you'll never get the mouthpiece half."

"No, I can't," Fiona said, but she quickly smiled again, "but...I can kidnap the most precious thing in Belle's world."

"Who? Her father?" Celia asked, her mother made an evil chuckle. Fiona said;

"No...the man that won her heart!"


	16. Chapter 16

_Hello readers, if you see any quotations without seeing who said it, there's a reason._

* * *

Later at night while Tintement was sleeping in the trees, Belle, in her bat body, flew off to her old home in the village. She went there at night so no one in the village would see her and attack her. She was going to her old home because she hid her mother's locket in the attic when her step-grandmother came to the castle. Belle opened the attic window and landed inside, everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. She walked over to a little case and opened it, there was her silver fox mask. She put on her silver mask, Belle felt her body changing. She watched her feathers going back into her body and her wings turning into human arms and hands. Belle went from a bat back into a human; she walked through the old things that belonged to her mother; she still couldn't believe that her mother was a sorceress that was a guardian to a powerful item. Belle went over to an old dresser and opened one of the drawers; there was a box where Belle kept the locket. She opened it and placed the sapphire diamond locket around her neck.

As she was turning her attention to the window, Belle's hand knocked over a little box. The box fell over and a book fell out, a rainbow-colored book with a strap to keep it closed. Belle picked up the book and blew off the remaining dust; the word 'diary' was shown. Belle knew that she knew she had never own a diary, but she knew someone who did...her mom. Belle was about to open the diary, but the strap kept it from opening. She saw a lock on the diary, she didn't think she be able to open the diary. Suddenly, she remember the dark green key that was with the sapphire-blue locket. Belle removed the key from the chain, entered it in the lock and twisted it. The lock clicked and the strap was released from the lock, Belle couldn't believe that the key unlocked her mother's diary. She quickly opened the strap, opened the book and read what her mother had wrote. Belle could hear her mother's voice as she read the diary entries.

"Dear Diary, who knew the human world would be a better fit for me? I'm better off here than fighting with my accursed mother! Since I had a talent of singing and dancing, I signed up to be a pole dancer. Nobody noticed my power of color and light, they were more interested in my voice and body. I thought I was happy...until I met him"

Belle was beginning to think that the 'him' was her father, Maurice.

"Dear Diary, I couldn't believe how wonderful Maurice was! He brought me chocolates and flowers and so many other things! Was this love? I hope it is. But even though life for me here was better for me, I still had to go back to the world of sorcerers and sorceresses because of the Meeting of the Guardians with our high and mighty empress, Lady Temps, the sorceress of time! The last meeting, Lydia almost pulled a rude trick on Lady Temps. She tried to place quills and spikes on Lady Temps' seat, but I removed them before Lydia would get herself in trouble. Even though she's a hot-tempered, rough and tough woman who loved to be covered in her spines, spikes and quills, she's still my closest best friend!"

* * *

"Dear Diary, I couldn't believe it, I'm pregnant! I'll soon have little ones of my own; I'll be a better mother than my own. I'll pay attention to my child, unlike my own mother! Maurice still loves me for who I am. Well, the part of me he knows. I'm not sure if I have the courage to tell Maurice that he married a sorceress of color and light and the guardian of the Clarinet of Life, let alone my soon to be born children. Well, until the time comes, I can't let them know."

* * *

"Dear Diary, I have twin daughters, but I also have a broken heart. One of my twins, a girl I named Douceur, had died in me. Looks like her sister, Belle, is the only one I'll have. Well, one is better than none. Belle will always be my greatest treasure in my world, whether I'm a sorceress or not. Now I'm a mother, like my friend Lydia. Despite her unwanted-ness of being a queen, she had a son of her own. I wanted Belle to meet him, but because Lydia is a queen and we're guardians, we couldn't risk our children's lives, especially around that retched husband of a king!"

* * *

Belle continued to read her mother's diary through the rest of the night and the next day. For once, she managed to forget about the spell that was placed on her. She had also forgotten about her cousin, Tintement, who was probably looking for her.

That night, Tintement went to Belle's old home and saw her cousin in the attic.

"Belle!" Tintement shouted. Belle turned around to see Tintement on the window sill.

"Tintement!" Belle said.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Tintement said.

"You don't have to be so worried! I'm all right, I'm just reading this!" Belle explained, but Tintement didn't want to hear it.

"You can read it when we get back to the ruins!" Tintement said as she flapped her wings, Belle groaned.

"Fine." Belle said as she took her fox mask off and changed back into her bat form. She gently closed her mother's diary and went back with her cousin back to the ruins. She continued to read her mother's diary during the day and night, she even forgotten to eat a few times. Tintement got Belle back on track of her regime, but she continued to read her mother's diary until she had reached the last few entries.

* * *

"Dear Diary, Belle is getting better at her piano, flute and clarinet lessons. She did learn from the best, me! I still hate the fact that Fiona was living so close to the family. I still can't believe she's Maurice's stepmother, but as long as my daughter is around and I'm still living, she'll never have my half of Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life!"

* * *

"Dear Diary, there's only more than a few days until Christmas. I can't wait for Belle to open up her presents; I want to see that wonderful smile I know so much! Knowing Maurice, I'll be left making our Christmas Eve dinner since, well; he's an awful cook. I hope that Maurice will get Belle that cookbook she's been wanting lately. She's been learning to cook from me, mama's little helper! I know one day, I hope, she'll understand why I hid my life from her and...

* * *

There was a scribble after that, Belle's mother didn't get to finish her entry. Belle looked at the date of the entry, December 8th. Tears fell from her face, Belle remembered that date was the day her mother came outside and went against the two lone wolves. This was the last entry before Veronica had died, Belle closed the diary, gently with her feet since she was a bird, and held it close to her heart.

"Mother," Belle whispered to herself, "I don't care if you were a sorceress or a regular person, you will always be my mama and I'll always love you." Belle just sat on a stone of the ruins and held her mother's diary. The day turned into night and Belle's bird form was transformed into her bat form. Tintement came out of the sky and flew down next to her cousin, she had caught a few fish for their dinner, but Tintement could tell that Belle wasn't in the mood for eating.

"Cousin of mine, what's wrong?" Tintement asked.

"Would it be wrong to say...I miss my mama?" Belle said.

"Oh, Belle, I do understand." Tintement said.

"I'm not sure that you do." Belle said.

"I do," Tintement pushed, "I lost my mother before you did. I know how you feel."

"I just found out something interesting about mine." Belle added.

"Meaning what?" Tintement asked. Belle told her cousin everything she found out about her mother, including being the guardian of Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life.

"Here I thought it was a myth!" Tintement exclaimed.

"Wait! You've heard about Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life?" Belle asked in surprise.

"Only as a story!" Tintement said.

"Where did you hear it from?" Belle asked again.

"It was before Celia and Fiona did to us." Tintement explained, "Celia had told me a story about a clarinet that had remarkable power, but whoever had a black heart and an evil soul and played the clarinet, the power would threaten everyone! The clarinet had the power to bring wishes to life as well, to whoever played it! Those who were black and evil at heart had their evil selfish wishes brought to life and the only way to reverse it was that someone who had a soul filled with goodness and a heart filled with the purest love had to play the clarinet!" Now Belle understood what power the Clarinet of Life really had and it made her scared and furious about what Fiona wanted to do with it.

"What I would give to slap Fiona in her mouth!" Belle growled.

"I want to give Celia a punch in her stomach and remove her tongue! Feed it to the wolves!" Tintement said, Belle was a little shocked.

"That seems a little...extreme." Belle quickly said.

"She did this to us!" Tintement shouted as she pointed out the curse on them.

"I know! I know!" Belle quickly said, trying to calm her down, "*sigh* It makes me wonder what they're doing at the castle." Tintement could see the concern on her cousin's face. She can see how much Belle missed Adam.

"I can see it in your face,...you miss him." Tintement said.

"I do, I love him." Belle said as a tear escaped.

"Maybe you need to go back to that beast of yours." Tintement added.

"Maybe I should and DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM A BEAST AGAIN!" Belle shouted.

"Okay, okay, okay," Tintement quickly said, "Let's not get our tempers raised. Go see him, but be extremely careful!"

"I plan to be careful." Belle said as she flapped her wings. Before leaving, Belle grabbed the enchanted rose in her tail. She then flew into the sunset purple sky and went to Adam's castle.

* * *

_If anyone's going to ask, 'Douceur' means 'Sweetness'.  
_


	17. Chapter 17

Belle flew through the treetops as she felt the wind go through her wings and fur. She felt uneasiness in the air, something was wrong as she approached the castle. Belle carefully flew up to the balcony of the West Wing. When she got there, the balcony door was open. Belle walked inside, but it was really dark, nothing could be seen, except a little glowing candle. She placed the rose on the table where the magic mirror was and took the candle to the fireplace and through it in there. A fire glowed in the fireplace, Belle turned around and saw the horror before her. The west wing was a mess again, but it wasn't as bad when she first met Adam. Belle could see that the place was ransacked, something was more than wrong!

Suddenly, the door to the west wing opened. Belle turned around and saw Lumiere, he was all beaten up with a black eye. Lumiere saw Belle in her bat body, he was greatly frightened as he grabbed the closest thing near him, a small table.

"You get out of this castle and bring us back our master!" Lumiere shouted as he charged Belle.

"Wait! Lumiere!" Belle shouted back, but Lumiere swung the table at Belle, but she ducked and the table broke as it hit the wall. Lumiere grabbed one of the table's legs and turned back at Belle. She couldn't attack Lumiere, instead she turned to the door and ran out of the room. Belle went through the halls, there seemed like there had been a fight, but she couldn't stop because Lumiere was still after her. Belle saw an opened door, she went into the room and closed the door. She was hoping that it was over, but when she saw the room she was in, she covered her mouth in shock. It was the ballroom and everyone was lying on the floor. They were beaten and exhausted, what could've happened?

Cogsworth, who was lying on the ground, opened his eyes and saw Belle back away from the pounding door.

"Belle?" Cogsworth said as he weakly got up, Belle quickly turned around.

"Cogsworth!" Belle said in shock, Cogsworth had his clothes torn and had a busted lip.

"I thought you were a bird." Cogsworth said as he stared at her.

"I'm a bat at night, what happened here?" Belle quickly asked.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you." Cogsworth said.

"You have to, Adam's missing and Lumiere's trying to kill me!" Belle said even more quickly. Another pound and the door swung open, Lumiere came charging in trying to hit Belle's head. She quickly flew up to the ceiling to avoid Lumiere hitting her. She had no choice, she flew towards Lumiere and landed on his back, just like when Tintement jumped on Adam's back. The table leg flew out of Lumiere's hand, he tried to crawl away but he couldn't.

"Lumiere, are you all right?" Cogsworth asked him.

"Do I look all right?" Lumiere said in anger and fear, "I've got this bat standing on my back!"

"I'm sorry, Lumiere. I really didn't want to do it." Belle explained.

"How do you know my name?" Lumiere asked in shock.

"Well, believe it or not, this bat is Belle!" Cogsworth explained.

"What?" Lumiere asked, he couldn't believe it.

"It's a long story," Belle quickly explained, "but right now you need to tell me what has happened! I came to visit Adam, but his room has been ransacked and he's missing!"

"First, can you get off my back please, Belle?" Lumiere asked.

"You're not going to attack me again, are you?" Belle asked him.

"Not that I now know that it's you, Mademoiselle!" Lumiere said in his usual kind voice. Belle walked off of Lumiere's back, he slowly got up with his hands on his back.

"Now tell me what happened!" Belle pushed.

"Well, we were all gathered here to clean the ballroom." Cogsworth explained, "The master was still in his room, so he wasn't with us."

"Just then," Lumiere added, "your aunt came in wandering around the room. We didn't notice anything about her until I saw her wearing one of your dresses!"

"When I noticed it," Cogsworth continued, "I asked her what she was doing wearing one of your dresses, then, out of nowhere, she punches me. There was a loud boom coming from above, we saw something fly out of the master's window."

"Then your aunt attacked everyone, including us." Lumiere continued, "We don't remember anything until you arrived."

"I know what happened." said a small voice. Everyone's attention was turned to the kitchen door, there was Chip with this scared look on his face and holding something in his hands. He slowly came out of the kitchen, but what has happened had scared him. Belle bent down to Chip's level so she wouldn't try and scare him.

"Chip, it's me, Belle." Belle said.

"I know, I heard you." Chip said, Belle hear how scared Chip was in his voice.

"Chip, what else happened?" Belle asked, "I know you're scared, but you need to tell us so we can help Adam."

"I saw what flew out of the window." He said, "It was your father's stepmother, she was holding the master's neck collar. Your aunt went after me and was going to hurt me, but when she raised her arm, tears fell from her eyes."

"Celia isn't known for crying." Belle thought to herself, "What happened next?"

"She lowered her arm and said 'I've already hurt my nieces when they were children, I'm not going to hurt another child. Give this to Belle and tell her to twist it.' She gave me this ball and she disappeared.' Chip said when he raised up a little silver ball.

"Let me have it." Belle asked, Chip handed Belle the silver metal ball, she twisted it. One went one way, the other went a different way. The ball glowed, jumped out of her furry hands and wings and started to spin. A light shot upwards and widens to show an image of Celia.

"Celia!" Belle growled.

"Easy, Belle," Celia said, "I've caused enough harm towards Tintement and you."

"What do you want?" Belle asked, "What did you do with Adam!"

"It's not what I want," Celia explained, "it's what my mother wants. She wants you to bring her the other half of the Clarinet of Life to the abandoned asylum!"

"That's never happening!" Belle shouted as she stamped her foot down.

"Mother knows that," Celia said, "that's why she kidnapped the love of your life and your father!"

"WHAT!" Belle screeched.

"You can't bring the mouthpiece half of the Clarinet!" Celia pushed.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth!" Belle shouted.

"I know you and Tintement hate me for placing the spell on the two of you," Celia quickly explained, "but I want you to know, I only did it to protect you from my mother! But you won't know if I'm telling the truth unless you listen to me! I don't want you to bring the mouthpiece, but mother will kill Maurice and Adam if you don't! I'm sorry to have failed you." The light thinned and went back into the silver ball, Belle can't believe it. She either gave up the mouthpiece of the Clarinet of Life or her father and Adam will die for real.

"Belle, give up he instrument!" Lumiere quickly decided, since he didn't know anything.

"She can't!" said a female voice, out of nowhere, the enchantress popped up and marched up to Belle.

"Belle, don't be stupid!" the enchantress urged.

"I'm not, but...what else can I do!" Belle pushed the point.

"I-I-I-I...I don't know. My magic isn't strong enough against Fiona." The enchantress softly said.

"We need a plan." Cogsworth said. While Cogsworth, Lumiere and the Enchantress were talking about a plan, Belle stepped out the balcony and looked into the sky. She couldn't lose the people she loved so much again. She may not be thinking with her head, but she is thinking with her heart. She remembered from her mother's diary that the locket has to be pointed to the moon and the light would beam off the jewel into the direction of the Clarinet. Belle left the castle and went to the ruins, she pointed her mother's locket towards the moon. The locket started to glisten, then the moon shot a beam of light at the sapphire jewel and reflected in the direction of the place of the mouthpiece. With the locket pointed at the moon, Belle flew in the direction of the beam.

* * *

To Belle's surprise, she found herself back at her old home in the village where she was born. She hadn't been back to this house since her mother passed. Her father, Maurice, couldn't bear to live in this house without his wife, so he moved him and Belle into the house in the village where they thought Belle was odd. The house was still empty and the beam was pointing to the cellar, she walked down there. The beam had disappeared because there was no light in the cellar except for one window. Belle pointed the locket at the window, a small beam of moonlight bounced off the stone and pointed down to the ground. The clarinet was under the house; Belle dug out the wooden planks and dug into the ground. She dug and dug until she could fit inside the hole. She dug about eight feet below the house when she felt something hard. She brushed away the dirt and found a red case. Belle pulled herself out of the hole with the case, went outside under the moon and opened the case. Inside the case...were the mouthpiece and the first valves of a pink clarinet. As Belle closed the case, she said to herself;

"The mouthpiece of Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life. If this what you want, Fiona, you'll get it. This is for you, Adam."


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry, this chapter is a short one!_

* * *

Speaking of Adam, he couldn't believe what has happened as he paced in his cell. Adam, wearing his white linen shirt and white pants, and Maurice were locked in a cell in the abandoned asylum. Fiona was playing cards with her daughter as they wait for Belle to bring the mouthpiece.

"Mother, how can you be sure that this plan would work?" Celia asked with uncertainty.

"Trust me, Celia;" Fiona said as she put down a jack of clubs, "Belle does everything to get her father out of a cage. She'll bring it."

"I can't believe you're doing this!" Maurice shouted as he grabbed the bars.

"Aren't you proud of me?" Fiona chuckled as she stood up from her seat, "Once that runt of yours brings what I want, you...and that human-monster will go free." Hearing that, Adam charged at the cell bars and tried to grab Fiona's throat, but the bars blocked him to do it.

"Ah, ah, ah! You're just like your fighting mother," Fiona teased as her eyes turned red, "always thinking with your anger in your temper!"

"Be Quiet!" Adam roared as he shook the bars.

"Mama, don't over do it!" Celia said, she was worried about what might happen. Her mother looked at her.

"You're right," Fiona said as she looked back at Adam's beast face, "why feed him all this attention before I have total domination of the magic world and this worthless human world."

"FIONA!" a female voice echoed. Everyone looked over to a stairway, where they saw someone coming down the stairs, carrying a red case. It wasn't until she was at the bottom of the stairs did they see who it was; it was Belle.

"Belle!" Fiona hissed and her eyes glowed.

"I have it." Belle said as she looked over at Adam and her father.

"Show me!" Fiona hissed again, this time with her tongue out like a snake. Belle opened the red case and showed the mouthpiece of the clarinet.

"The mouthpiece!" Fiona exclaimed, Belle quickly closed the case.

"Give me the keys to the cell and I'll give you the case." Belle said as she stared into Fiona's blood-red eyes.

"Deal." Fiona chuckled, Belle gave the mouthpiece to Fiona and she gave Belle the keys to the cell. As Belle unlocked the cell, Fiona put together the mouthpiece and the horn of Clarinet.

"Gabrielle's Clarinet of Life is finally mine!" Fiona hissed as she held it in the air.

"What about them?" Celia pointed out.

"I don't care;" Fiona hissed as she ran up a stairway, "I have what I wanted!" As Fiona evilly laughed, Belle grabbed Adam's paw and her father's arm and they ran out of the asylum.

"Belle, I can't believe you gave up the mouthpiece!" Adam said.

"I already almost you two before;" Belle pushed, "I wasn't going to lose you two again!" Suddenly, they could hear the notes of a clarinet coming from inside the asylum. Fiona's evil laughter could be heard between the plays of music. Red twisters were outside roaming through the skies, every sorcerer and sorceress could hear the Clarinet, in the human world or the world of magic. Spikes of lightning shot out from the asylum and hit every sorcerer and sorceress, draining their power and transporting them into a cell in the asylum. Fiona's evil laughter was heard as the harsh twisters and lightning storms raged through the two worlds.

* * *

As Belle, Adam and Maurice exited out of the asylum, they were faced by a harsh wind. Belle's blue hair ribbon flailed against her furry neck as they covered their faces from the wind. Belle removed her wings from her face and saw her cousin walking towards her. The wind was so violent that it was too dangerous to fly.

"Belle!" Tintement shouted as she approached them.

"Tintement, what are you doing here?" Belle yelled.

"I brought her here!" Belle saw the Enchantress coming out of the trees, she wasn't too happy!

"Belle, how could you!" the enchantress shouted as her eyes glowed pink, "You gave away one of the most powerful objects in the world in evil's hands"

"I wasn't going to lose the men I love again!" Belle pushed.

"Well," the enchantress pointed into the sky, "look at the prince you paid!" Belle looked at the dark sky, the bolts of purple lightning were being shot all over the place. There was also a large hole in the sky with red meteors going into the asylum. Every meteor that was falling into the asylum was the sorcerers and sorceresses from the world of magic. Every scream and shriek could be heard as they were ripped from their home. Belle couldn't stand it anymore.

"Tintement, get Adam and papa back to the castle!" Belle shouted.

"Why me?" Tintement asked.

"Because I'm going to stop Fiona!" Belle yelled as she turned around, but Adam grabbed her shoulder.

"You can't stop her on your own!" Adam growled.

"I'm not losing you a third time! Go back to the castle!" Belle screeched as she ran back into the asylum, she wasn't going to let Fiona win this without a fight!

* * *

_Just a heads up, readers; I might fall behind on putting up the next chapter. Mainly because I going to update some of my chapters and try to make them flow together. But I will put up chapter 19 as soon as I can and keep up the reviews. _


	19. Chapter 19

_Nothing could express how busy I've been, I didn't think I would be able to put this chapter up. Sorry for putting this chapter up late. I've been busy doing updates to chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. I hope you enjoy those as well as this one._

* * *

As Fiona was watching every sorcerer and sorceress have their power drained and locked in a cell, her own power was growing. She was beginning to grow larger as she was becoming more of a serpent creature, her hair was becoming strands of snakes, so were her hands. As Fiona was growing more power, Celia watched the sad looks on every sorcerer and sorceress. She wanted to save them, but she knew that she wasn't strong enough to defeat her own mother.

Once all the sorcerers and sorceresses were drained of their power and in a cell cage, Fiona placed the clarinet in her hand of serpents.

"Now who's the lowly excuse of a sorceress!" Fiona evilly hissed and laughed, everyone was terrified of Fiona; she could now destroy them if she wanted to. "Now I'm the most powerful being in the world!"

"Not yet you're not!"Fiona turned around to see Belle's foot, Belle kicked Fiona in the mouth and she fell to the ground. Belle landed on a ledge as Fiona looked at her.

"Looks like you need a spanking!" Fiona hissed.

"That won't stop me!" Belle screeched as she flew up to Fiona's hand to grab the Clarinet, but Fiona swiped at her and slammed her into a wall.

"*evil chuckle* What makes you think you can defeat me?" Fiona hissed.

"I won't let you do this!" Belle shouted as she struggled to keep the snakes from biting her.

"HA, like your mother tried to defeat me?" Fiona hissed, "You're as foolish as her!"

"What are you saying?" Belle shouted.

"Why do you think I've been trying to kill you? Your parents tried to kill my children from another relationship!" Fiona hissed, "Your father killed one of them when your mother was trying to save you from me! The only good thing I got out of it was your mother's death!" That's when it hit Belle; Fiona was one of the wolves that caused her mother to die from an infection.

"You-you-you murderer!" Belle screeched, she pulled snakes from her hand and flew out of the snakes' grip. She flew towards Fiona's face, but Fiona was fast. Belle was hit by Fiona's tail and was flung into the bars of a cell before falling to the floor. Fiona charged at Belle to slam her more into the floor, but then she stopped in her tracks. Belle could see that something had her tail; it was Adam!

"You-leave-her-alone!" Adam roared as he pulled on Fiona's snake tail, Fiona turned around and saw Adam.

"I should've killed you!" Fiona said as she turned her attention at Adam; he released Fiona's tail and ran off as Fiona chased after him. Belle shook her head as she stood up. Just then, Tintement was next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Belle asked, "I told you to take him back to the castle!"

"We're family, Belle. We weren't going to leave you to fight her alone!" Tintement pushed. As Fiona chased Adam, she felt something harsh on her back. She looked up, there was the enchantress were her own magic.

"Fiona!" the enchantress shouted.

"Rouge! I'll get rid of you!" Fiona hissed as she Fiona threw her magic at Rouge as she shot her own at Fiona. When the shots hit each other, it blinded Rouge. When it disappeared, Fiona appeared and swiped her into the ground. Her snakes in her hands bit her wrists and ankles, but it didn't affect her too much because they weren't able to bite her too hard. Tintement bit Fiona's tail, Fiona raised a shout a pain as she stood up. As she raised her arms, Adam jumped on the hand that had the clarinet. He removed it and threw it out of Fiona's reach; Tintement caught it and flew off.

Give me that Clarinet!" Fiona hissed as she went after Tintement, but Tintement was too fast for Fiona for catch, she soon turned around a corner and met up with the others. Fiona turned around the corner to see Belle, Adam and Tintement scatter, but she went after Tintement.

"Tintement, come back here!" Fiona hissed, she grabbed Tintement's legs and threw her against the wall.

"Give me my clarinet!" Fiona hissed loudly.

"I would, but I don't have it!" Tintement said as she raised her arms.

"What!" Fiona hissed as she threw Tintement towards another direction; she looked around to see Belle flying up the stairs to an outside tower...with the clarinet in her bat foot. Fiona chased after Belle, but Belle went out a window and reached the outside. When Belle reached the roof of the tower, she took a big breath and was about to blow the clarinet, but the snakes, from Fiona's hand, bit down on her back. She shirked and dropped the clarinet, it almost slid down the roof, but Belle ripped the snakes off and caught it before it fell off.

Fiona was climbing up to the top of the roof, the tower started to tip because of the heavy weight of Fiona on the circular roof, but Belle was the only one to notice. She decided to play a trick on Fiona, if she'll fall for it.

"Oh Fiona!" Belle said in a singsong voice. Fiona just hissed at her as she dug her hand of snakes into the roof. "If you want the clarinet," Belle said, "come and get it!" Belle jumped off the roof, Fiona reached out to grab the clarinet out of Belle's feet, but the shingles on the roof made Fiona lose her grip. The tower broke from Fiona's weight and she fell through another part of the roof. She landed on her back on the floor of the asylum. Fiona heard the laughter from Adam, Rouge and Tintement; she swung her tail at the ledge they were standing on. The ledge was destroyed and they all fell with rubble landing on top of them.

"Now I'll destroy you," Fiona hissed loudly as she raised her arm with a red ball of dark light in her snake hand, "just like Veronica!" Just then, there was the noise of music. "What?" Fiona hissed confusedly. Everyone, including the sorcerers and sorceresses inside the cells, heard the notes of a clarinet. Just then, Adam saw Belle through the hole on the roof, standing tall and playing the Clarinet of life. Because her heart was filled with love and happiness, the clarinet's magic was used for good. A yellow light was coming out of the horn and spread itself all over; the twisters were becoming gentler, beams of blue light were shot out of the sky at the sorcerers and sorceresses. The yellow light from the music covered Fiona and was now draining her power and returning it to their original owners.

"NO!" Fiona hissed as the power was taken. The beams of light opened the cell doors and returned the sorcerers and sorceresses back into the world of magic. There was one beam of white light that hit Belle; it started to make the music play stronger and deeper. She continued to play the Clarinet of Life as it brought everything back to normal. Fiona continued to scream as she shrunk back to her normal size and all the power was drained from her.

* * *

Finally, the twisters stopped, the lightning storms ceased and every sorcerer and sorceress were back home in the world of magic. Fiona dropped down to the floor as her energy was drained and taken from her. As for Belle, when everything stopped, she stopped playing the clarinet, but she was exhausted. She lost her balance and fell through the hole, but before she hit the ground, Adam caught her in mid-air. He jumped into the air and caught Belle in his beastly arms. Adam carried Belle and the Clarinet back over to the others. Rouge, the enchantress, gently took the clarinet out of Belle's hands; Belle was out cold, she was that exhausted.

"It's over." Rouge said relieved, but then they heard Fiona.

"Not yet, it's not!"


	20. Chapter 20

Fiona rose to her feet, as if she was getting ready to fight again, Rouge and Tintement stood in front of Belle and Adam. Despite how drained she was, Fiona still had her own power. She shot out little red balls of magic at Adam, Rouge and Tintement. The four of them quickly scattered before they got hit.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this!" Fiona shouted as she went after Adam and Belle. Belle was still unconscious from playing the Clarinet, so Adam had to carry her as he ran from Fiona. Fiona then released a smoke bomb, Tintement and Rouge couldn't see. Adam couldn't see either and was having a hard time breathing. Then, just out of nowhere, the smoke started to disappear and Fiona shouted in pain. Adam looked at Fiona, there was Celia trying to fight her.

"Traitor!" Fiona shouted as she pushed her daughter aside.

"You've already caused pain to the family my brothers made," Celia shouted, "I won't let you harm them anymore!" Fiona growled and shot her magic at her daughter, Celia wasn't prepared for that unexpected move. She jumped high in the air to avoid the shot. Once she landed, Celia shot her magic at her mother; Fiona also shot her magic as well.

"ENOUGH!" said a voice as a beam of white light came between the two shots. Fiona, Celia and Rouge suddenly became very afraid. They knew whose voice it was, except Adam. He didn't know what was going on until the beam of light transformed into white smoke. The smoke swirled around into the form of a person. The smoke ceased and in place of it...was a woman with long white robes, grey eyes and white hair that stuck up high in the air, like a crown. She turned to look at Fiona.

"Fiona," the woman said, "you will not harm anyone anymore! You are now banished to the pit of Fire and Darkness." A fiery hole opened up under Fiona's feet, she fell down into the fiery pit as the hole closed up.

"Who's that?" Adam whispered to Rouge. Before Rouge could answer, the woman turned around and looked at Adam. She had a large smile as she raised her arms in the air.

"I am Lady Temps, the sorceress of time! I am also the high and mighty empress of the world of magic!" the woman said. Adam couldn't believe what he had heard, he wished Belle was awake to hear it. "Don't worry," Lady Temps said, "I'm only here to talk to you, Adam."

"Me?" Adam asked.

"Well," she said, "I would talk to Belle, but I can tell that she's exhausted."

"I can see why you would speak to me instead." Adam said as he looked at Belle.

"You both deserve each other," said Lady Temps, "that's why I'm here...to say thank you for saving all of us."

"Well, at least on my own half," Adam said, "it was worth it to help Belle. She helped me when I was cursed, it was now my turn to help her. So...you're welcome."

"Looks like that 'prince part' of you is trying to come back." Said Lady Temps, "In this case, it's a good thing."

"I think," Rouge added, "if...Veronica and Lydia were still alive...they would be so proud of you."

"Yes," Adam said softly, "they probably would."

"What do you mean 'if they were still alive'?" Lady Temps asked, "They _are_ alive." When Adam and Rouge heard that, they didn't believe that. "What makes you think they're dead?"

"Adam and Belle told me that their mothers died." Rouge said. Lady Temps looked at Adam, she can tell he was confused.

"If I had to make a wild chance," Lady Temps said, "they probably didn't tell you that they were sorceresses, did they?"

"No," he answered, "they...they died before they could tell us."

"Well, I think it's right that you know now," Lady Temps answered, "since you and Belle and children of sorceresses. After Veronica and Lydia were buried, I sensed that the lockets that held the locations of the two Clarinet halves would disappear. So I visited their graves and...gave them their life back."

"But...why?" Adam asked.

"Even without the lockets," she said, "Veronica and Lydia knew where the Clarinet halves were buried. That's why I brought them back."

"Are you the only one that knew this, empress?" Rouge asked.

"Yes, I am." Lady Temps answered, "That's why you didn't know, Rouge, despite that you were their closest friend. I didn't want them to go back to the world of humans because, everytime I resurrect a sorcerer or sorceress, they forget all the magic they learned in their lives. So they stayed in the world of magic to relearn their spells and magic. But now that the Clarinet has been found, I think it's time to destroy it."

"I don't think Lady Gabrielle would mind." Rouge said. Lady Temps took the Clarinet of Life into her hands, it took all her power, but she had managed to destroy the clarinet with the power of fire and time. All that was left of it was ash; no one had to fear of it falling into the hands of evil again.

"Now it's over." Adam said as Lady Temps brushed the ash from her hands.

"It might be over for the clarinet," Adam turned to the right and saw Tintement walking over to him, "but Belle and me are still under this curse."

"Not for much longer." said a female voice. Everyone turned to see Celia walking over, her eyes were now lavender rather than gray. "I know you and Belle are angry with me placing a curse on the two of you, but I only did it to protect you from my mother."

"I wish you did something else though." Said Tintement.

"You might be angry about what happened in the past," Adam said, "but since you can't change it, you might as well try and make up with her. After all, she is yours and Belle's aunt." Rouge was surprised by what Adam said, she smiled to see that the spoiled selfish prince had ceased to exist.

"I guess you have a point." Tintement said, she then turned back at Celia. "What did you mean 'not for much longer'?"

"I placed the spell on you to protect you from my mother," Celia explained, "but now that she's defeated, the spell shall break soon."

"Tintement," said Adam, "if you need a place to stay, you're more than welcome to live at the castle."

"Thank you," said Tintement, "but let me see how far I can get on my own. If I need help, I know I can turn to you or Belle to help me."

"Speaking of Belle," Celia said, "I think it's best that you go back to the castle. Belle and you need to get some rest."

"All right," Adam said, "but before I go, I do have a question for you, enchantress."

"Call me Rouge," Rouge said, "what's the question?"

"Before I went after Belle when she was fighting Fiona, what did you do with Maurice?" Adam asked.

"Well," Rouge said, "I sent him back to the castle. I know you'll get upset with me about this part, empress, but I didn't want him to forget this experience."

"So what you're telling me...is that you didn't erase his mind about this?" Lady Temps asked.

"Yes." Rouge answered.

"You know...I had the feeling you were going to do that." Said Lady Temps, "I'll let it go this time."

"You're not upset?" Rouge asked, "You're usually strict on something like that."

"Well, Maurice is the father of a sorceress's daughter. I think he deserves to know as much as Belle and Adam." Lady Temps explained, "I don't know if there's anyone Adam wants to tell, but until then..." Lady Temps then turned over to Adam, "Try not to tell anyone about sorcerers or sorceresses unless you want them to know, Adam."

"Thank you, Lady Temps." Adam said as he bowed his head. He then turned around and went out the asylum door; Belle was still out cold as he walked back to the castle. It was 1:00 in the morning when the castle was in sight. When they arrived at the castle, Adam just walked in without saying a word. The servants were fast asleep, so Adam just quietly went through the castle, hoping that he won't wake anyone up.

"Sire?" someone said, Adam turned on a dime when he heard someone.

"I know it's you...Mrs. Potts." Adam said, Mrs. Potts walked into his view and lit a candle.

"Sire, what happened to you?" Mrs. Potts asked, Adam wasn't sure if he could tell Mrs. Potts. True she was someone that Adam trusted with a secret, but he didn't think Mrs. Potts could keep this secret to herself.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Potts." Adam said, "I can't tell you what has had happened."

"Why not, sire?" she asked, Adam felt bad for holding this secret from Mrs. Potts, but he also promised to Lady Temps to keep it to himself if he can.

"It's a long story, Mrs. Potts." He said, "One I'm not ready to tell you yet."

"Okay," she said, "I'm here when you're ready to talk about it. Get Belle in bed." Adam was a little shocked that Mrs. Potts knew that it was Belle in his arms. He asked;

"How did you know that-?"

"Sire, I saw her talking to Cogsworth and Lumiere when her aunt attacked us." Mrs. Potts said with a smile, "Besides, who else do you know that wears a blue ribbon like hers?" Adam chuckled at that little fact.

"I guess you are right," Adam said, "Go get some rest, Mrs. Potts. We'll see you later." Mrs. Potts just nodded her head and turned around back to the servants' quarters. Adam continued his way to the west wing. When he opened the door to the west wing, he walked in the room and closed the door behind him.

Suddenly, Belle's body started to glow. She was covered in a light and she was quickly transformed back into her human form. Adam was embarrassed at first because when Belle transformed back to her human self, her blue dress was torn. The sleeves, the skirt above the knees, and the waist parts were missing. He quickly just turned his head, placed Belle on his bed and covered her up. Adam didn't want Belle thinking that he saw her body without her permission. Now that he had Belle back, nothing could express how happy Adam was. He felt his body growing warm. Just then, he felt this immense pain throughout his body. He grabbed both shoulders as he groaned. Adam fell to the ground as the pain continued to get worse. He closed his eyes hoping that it would end soon.


	21. Chapter 21

_Hey readers, this chapter made me cry writing it. I hope it doesn't make you cry._

* * *

The pain started to cease and his body started warming up; Adam slowly opened his eyes. The pain felt like it lasted for hours when it really lasted for ten minutes. He felt his energy returning as he got up, but as he was standing up, he noticed that his claws were gone. Adam looked behind him; his tail was gone as well. He grabbed the magic mirror; he saw that he was human again. He knew that even though he was a human, that beast was still inside him.

"It's still strange seeing you without fur." Adam heard Belle's voice. He turned around, Belle was sitting up on the bed. She was also smiling.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I just woke up. " Belle answered, "Are you okay? After fighting with Fiona?"

"I'm fine." Adam said as he sat down on the edge of the bed, "There's something I need to tell you."

"If it's that serious," she said, "then tell me." Adam...was a little worried about telling Belle about Lady Temps and what she said about their mothers, but Belle did deserve to know.

"Well, after you passed out, Fiona tried one more time to get rid of us." Adam explained, "Your aunt got into it and used her magic to fight her, but then, someone got into the middle of it. Her name was Lady Temps, she banished Fiona to...a place called 'The Pit of Darkness and Fire'."

"I heard that name before," Belle said, "I found my mother's diary talking about a 'Lady Temps'."

"Well," he said, "it turns out that Lady Temps is the sorceress of time and...the empress of the world of magic. After Fiona was banished, Celia said that you...and your cousin were now free of the spell that was on you." Belle smiled and looked upwards, Adam could see that Belle was so happy that she was free.

"What happened to Tintement?" Belle asked.

"I asked Tintement if she would like to live here with you." Adam explained, "But she said that she wanted to try and live on her own. If she can't she said she'll come back here."

"I should've known that Tintement would do that." She said, "Can you believe that you met someone who has a big responsibility just like you."

"My responsibility isn't as big as Lady Temps." Adam said with a chuckle. "Anyway, she came to thank us for saving all those sorcerers and sorceresses.*sigh* I can't believe that magic beings like them existed!"

"We better believe it," Belle said, "our mothers were once those magic beings!"

"Speaking of that," he said nervously, "I found out something else about our mothers."

"What else is there?" she asked, Adam took a deep breath before answering.

"It turns out that...that...that after we buried our mothers," Adam was beginning to stall the point, "Lady Temps not only visited their graves, turns out that she also brought them back from the dead." The room was dead silent, Belle looked like she was in her own little world. "Belle?"

"You're playing a trick on me, aren't you?" Belle asked.

"I'm just telling you what Lady Temps told me." Adam explained, "I haven't seen the proof, but I didn't want to push her."

"True," she said, "who knows what Lady Temps could do to people?" Adam almost winced at that remark, if Rouge could transform him into a beast, Lady Temps could do so much worse. Belle could see that Adam was in deep thought, so she decided to let him be in his thoughts.

"Belle?" Adam said, Belle was a little startled because she wasn't expecting Adam to get out of his thoughts that fast.

"Yes, Adam?" she answered. Belle could tell that Adam wanted to tell her something, but he seemed scared about something.

"I'm not sure that I can ask you now." he said.

"Try." Belle said, she could see that Adam was nervous and a little afraid as he put his head down. He reached into one of his pockets on his white pants and pulled out a little white box.

"I've...been wanting to ask you this ever since you set everyone free from the spell." Adam said with a nervous voice, "You have...managed to do the impossible...falling in love with a beast." Adam was about to continue, but Belle interrupted him.

"It wasn't the beast that I fell in love with." Belle said, she raised her hand and laid it on Adam's chest. "It was was the heart within the beast that I fell in love with." Adam just closed his eyes and held Belle's hand, the one that was on his heart. He wanted to embrace the moment, but Belle wanted to know what he wanted to ask her. She gently pulled her hand out of his and held his face with both hands. Adam opened his eyes and looked at Belle, he could see the curiosity in her eyes. He brought out the little white box and opened the lid, there was a silver ring with a diamond in the shape of a rose. That's when it hit her; Adam was trying to propose to her. She looked at the ring and then at Adam. Before he could ask her the big question, Belle grabbed his neck collar and kissed him. She wouldn't let go of him despite that he was trying to get her to. The problem was that Adam was running out of air, he didn't want to break the kiss, but he never got a big enough breath for him to kiss Belle for this long. Between the little struggle Adam was having with Belle still latched onto him, they reached the other end of the (king-sized) bed. It take long (or much) when he fell backwards onto the floor with Belle and the covers falling on top of them.

* * *

Adam and Belle tried to find their way out of the tangled blankets. Adam got out first, he could not believe the kiss he endured. He continued to feel the ruffling of the blankets, Belle was still trying to find her way out. Adam just grabbed one of the blankets and pulled, just enough to pull out a tangled corner. It was enough where Belle pushed her left arm out, Adam grabbed her hand and pulled out her head and other arm. He quickly released it because he wanted to prepare himself if Belle was going to kiss him again. But Belle couldn't help herself, she was just really excited.

"I know you weren't prepared for that." Belle said, Adam looked at her.

"I didn't expect you to kiss me like that." Adam said, "I could never expect you to do a kiss like that!"

"Well, you couldn't blame me," she replied, "why didn't you ask me sooner?" Adam sighed and felt like he was going to give her a bad reason.

"I wanted to ask you the day after you set me free from the spell," he explained, "but you were sick and...upset about the possibility of me needing to marry a princess. I wanted you to heal from your illness...and from that sore spot in your heart. I also wanted to ask you during that picnic we had, but I brought your cousin up and I forgot about it. One thing led to another, so to speak."

"I understand, Adam." she said, "I know you were trying hard to ask me, but never got the chance, but you do have an answer. I will marry you." Belle smiled as she said that, Adam saw that look in her eyes. "Don't worry, Adam, I'm not going to kiss you like that for quite some time. I'll make sure that you know that it's coming." He was immediately relieved, he didn't want another unexpected kiss. "But there is something we have to think and discuss about." she added.

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"What if what Lady Temps told you was true?" Belle said, "What if she did bring our mothers back from the dead? Do we want them back to us?"

"What do _you_ think, Belle?" he asked, Belle wasn't expecting Adam to flip the question back to her.

"Well...just like anyone who loses a family member...all I ever wanted was to see my mother one more time." Belle said, "Now that we both have that chance, I think...we, or I, would want her back. I don't know about you wanting to see your mother again, but I do want to see mine again. Besides...I would think that she would want to see her only child to get married." After hearing what Belle had to say about her mother, Veronica, maybe Adam could accept having his mother, Lydia, back into his life.

"Like you, Belle," Adam started, "I also had a strong relationship with my mother, but she was more than my mother. She was the only one that I trusted and I loved...and who loved me back."

"What about your father?" Belle asked, Adam winched at the mention of his father. Belle saw him winched when she mentioned his father, that alone gave her enough to know that Adam and his father didn't get along.

"Belle," Adam said, "since you and I are going to get married, I think you should know about my parents...and how I became the Beast." Belle couldn't believe what Adam was telling her, she knew that Adam would tell her about that when he felt comfortable about talking about it.

"Adam, don't force yourself to go through this." She said, "You don't have to tell me now."

"I think I should." He said, "It's been put off for too long."

"All right," Belle said, "Just...don't push yourself over the edge. If you don't think you can talk about it, then don't. I do understand it was painful for you."

"My father was the complete opposite of yours." Adam said, "Unlike your father, my father was horrid, controlling and abusive." A tear slid down his cheek as he remembered his parents. "He gave no compassion, not even to my mother...nor me. He didn't love us, there were multiple times that mother's life was in danger, but she did it to protect me." Adam paused, he started to know more how much his mother was willing to protect him...just like how much he was willing to protect Belle.

"Your mother was doing her job." Belle softly said, "It's a mother's job to protect their child from everything that's a threat...even if it means protecting them from their child's father."

"One day, I peeked into my mother's room." Adam continued, "My father was in an intoxicated rage and he was putting out on my mother, he pulled out his hunting knife and...held it against her throat. I couldn't let my father kill my mother, I ran into the room and bit onto his leg, I wanted him to take his attention off my mother and onto me. Biting him did the trick, but he held me against the wall, broke a piece of the bed and was beating me with it. Next thing I heard was a bang and there was a shot of pain in my right arm." Belle saw where Adam held his arm, it was in the exact place where the wolf bit him when he saved her. "There was a blank look on father's face and he stopped beating me, I saw something red coming out of his mouth. That's when he dropped me and fell onto the floor. There was nothing that terrified me during that time than seeing my father's dead body. I looked over at mother, she was shaking and holding a pistol. When she looked over at me, she dropped the pistol and kept me from seeing father's bleeding body." Adam was his own mind, he was starting to see his father's bleeding body in his mind.

"Adam?" Belle spoke up, Adam quickly looked at her. Belle could see how much fear that was in his eyes and he was remembering that scary horrible moment. "You don't have to continue, if you don't want to." Adam knew that Belle was being serious, but he had to face his past in order to get into the future.

"I need to face the past," Adam said, "once I get through the past, I hope that I can let it go." Belle saw in his deep blue eyes that he wasn't holding onto his past; the past was holding onto him. She sensed that Adam wanted the past to let go.

"Okay, continue." She softly said, Adam nodded his head and continued his story.

"After father was killed, the servants buried him under a village. Everyone believed that he didn't deserve a proper royal grave. Despite that no one had to fear my father again, my mother was deeply upset because when she shot my father, she also shot me. The pain I felt in my right arm was the bullet going through my arm. It hit my father first, then my arm and lodged it into the wall. Mother was more upset about the bullet hitting me than father releasing his rage on me. Since she was my mother, I tried to understand what she was feeling, but I couldn't. I think maybe I was too young to understand." Belle couldn't believe the great lengths Adam's mother went through in order to protect him, but what mother wouldn't protect their child? Belle continued to listen Adam's story; his mother, who was originally a peasant like Belle, became a brave strong woman to take on the responsibility of a kingdom and to make sure Adam came first. But when she heard about how his mother went into her burning mansion to save Adam and other family members and how badly burned she was, she started to cry herself.

"Nothing could express the pain she went through," Adam explained, "I stayed with her. Mother wanted me to continue my studies, I did...but I did it in her room so that she could see that I was doing them and so that I didn't have to leave her. Mother was also trying to teach me to read with my studies. Before she passed, she gave me this." Adam held out the topaz heart shaped locket that he made as a fastener, Belle could imagine a precious item around the neck of royalty. When she looked back at Adam, tears were sliding off his face and falling onto the fallen sheets. "When...when she...she passed away, she did it in front of me. Nothing could express the pain I went through that day. I lost interest in everything, I couldn't learn anything. After Mother was gone, I couldn't go on, I didn't think anyone in this world cared about me. I closed off my heart, I didn't want it to be touched. If it was, I was afraid of losing that person. Because I didn't allow my heart to be touched, I became bitter towards people. I was cold, depressed, selfish and didn't care about anyone." Belle tried to understand the broken heart that was once in Adam, she remembered when the Beast let her go to help her father; she remembered how much pain he was going through when he let her go.  
"On Christmas on my eleventh year, I demanded presents from my staff. They tried to impress me, but...I closed my heart off for two years and...I didn't want to open it. Just then, there was a knock at the door, I wasn't too happy when I saw a beggar woman at the door. She begged for a night of shelter in exchange of a single rose. I refused her gift and slammed the door in her face. I was about to turn back until the front doors slammed open and a bright light flooded the front parlor. I turned around to see a woman floating in front of me."

"*sigh* It was the enchantress, wasn't it?" Belle asked.

"Yes, it was was her." Adam answered, "She told me that I had a cold heart and had no love in my heart. So she turned me into the Beast, the servants into objects and the castle dark and gloomy. She also said that the only way I could break the spell was to fall in love and earn that person's love in return before the last petal fell on the rose, on my twenty-first year." When Belle heard that, she remembered when she first entered the West Wing, when she first saw the enchanted rose.

"It explains why you angry with me for almost touching it." Belle said.

"There wasn't any excuse for me scaring you like that," Adam softly said, "but I didn't want my little ray of hope to be destroyed."

"I understand," Belle said, "I...am sorry that you suffered for so long." Belle could see more tears falling off Adam's face and his eyes were closed. She gently laid her hands on his face and turned him back at her, that's when his eyes, his deep blue eyes, opened again. "In my own thoughts, I think your mother would be proud of the man you became now." Adam didn't have anything to say, he just leaned his forehead against Belle's and closed his eyes, she responded back by leaning back and she closed her eyes as well.

* * *

Suddenly, there was a blue glow between them. It was bright enough for them to open their eyes, they saw it was coming from the sapphire blue locket around Belle's neck. She removed it and they both stared at the locket, just then, it shattered! The locket shattered and became dust, the only things that remain were the little portraits inside.

"Why did that happen?" Belle asked.

"I don't know." Adam replied, but then, there was another glow. This glow was yellow and was coming from the topaz heart-shaped locket. Just like the sapphire locket, the topaz locket shattered and turned into dust. There was only one thing that remained...and that was one little heart-shaped portrait. Adam picked it up and looked at it. "I didn't know this was in it." Adam said as he stared at the little portrait.

"What is it, Adam?" Belle asked, Adam looked at her and then turned the portrait for Belle to look at.

"Is that her?" Belle asked.

"Yes, that's her...with...me in her lap." Adam answered, he did not know that his mother put that in there. His mother had her harsh-red hair flowing in the wind. She was wearing a deep forest green gown and gloves. Adam was six years old in the portrait and was wearing a purple suit.

"You know," Belle said, "I see some similarity between you and your mother." Suddenly, Belle's face dropped.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

"Do you smell that?" she asked, Adam sniffed the air.

"I don't smell anything." he said.

"I do," Belle said as she sniffed the air again, "and I know exactly what it is. Come on."

* * *

_Well, readers, I'm having a hard time with writing the next chapter. I hope to get it done soon.  
_


	22. Chapter 22

_I'm compromising, 4 review is good, but I would like at least five for this one._

* * *

Despite that her dress was torn in places, Belle got up from the tangled blankets and started her way to the source of the smell. Adam quickly followed her, but she was going very quickly.

"How can you be sure that what you're smelling is real?" Adam asked.

"Trust me, Adam, I know exactly what it is." Belle said, "I may not have had it for so long, but I know it's what I smell."

"What is _it_?" Adam urged. Suddenly, Belle stopped and turned around.

"Mother's Rainbow Cake." She whispered, " I haven't had it since mother passed, nobody could beat her cooking or baking."

"Wait," Adam said, he sniffed the air again, "I smell something too, but I don't think it's that cake you're talking about." He sniffed again, "Wait, I remember this smell."

"Let's go find out if our thoughts are correct." Belle said, both of them continued to 'follow their noses'.

* * *

When they thought they found the source of the smells, they saw that they were in front of the kitchen door. There was light coming from the bottom of the door and there was very little sound coming from the kitchen.

"It's coming from in here." Adam whispered, Belle looked through the little window on the door. Her face dropped and she ducked down, Adam could see that Belle was surprised and shocked. "Belle, what is it?" he asked.

"Take...a look...for...yourself." Belle slowly said, she just couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her. Adam looked through the little window himself, he saw a woman dressed in robes that were in every color of the rainbow, even her hair was in different colors of the rainbow. The woman's back was to the door as she was opening the stove door. "It's her." Belle whispered, Adam looked back at Belle, still looking pretty shocked.

"Why am I getting the feeling that you know her?" Adam said, Belle quickly threw her hand over his mouth.

"Keep it down!" Belle whispered, "Do you really want to attract attention!" Adam gently grabbed Belle's hand and moved it off his mouth.

"Belle, you know her, don't you?" Adam whispered, he could see that Belle _did_ know who that woman was.

"That woman is..." Belle was stalling, she still couldn't believe it. "...my mother." Adam looked back through the little window, he couldn't believe the woman was Belle's mother, Veronica Arc-en-ceil.

"But...how can you tell?" he asked.

"Nobody has eyes as green as my mother." Belle explained, "That's her."

* * *

Belle was right, the woman in the kitchen was Veronica. While Belle and Adam were talking outside the kitchen door, Veronica was minding her own business in the kitchen until she heard a door open. There was another door that led into the kitchen, Veronica looked over to the door and saw a woman with hair as red as blood and wearing dark purple robes.

"Is it finished?" the woman asked.

"Just about done...Lydia." Veronica said, Adam and Belle saw and heard what had happened. Adam couldn't believe that it was _his_ mother that walked in on Veronica.

"Lovely, I can't wait for Adam to have these again." Lydia said as she walked over to the stove.

"You know I may have to take it back," Veronica said, "I think they are done. Rainbow Mitts!" Magic swirled around Veronica's hands, then oven mitts, that were in every color you can imagine, appeared on her hands. She then opened the stove, reached in and pulled out a large white cake. "My cake is done!" she said.

"I can also see that my cookies are done as well." Lydia said as magic swirled around her hands, black and white oven mitts appeared on her hands. Lydia reached in the oven and pulled out two platters filled with cookies. "Adam hasn't had my double chocolate chunk cookies or my sweet sugar cookies since...since I was around." Veronica can see on her friend's face how upset she was.

"I blame you for what you're feeling, Lydia." Veronica said as she frosted her cake, "It wasn't fair that we killed the way we were, it was more unfair that Lady Temps brought us back from the grave like that."

"She erased our memories of our families as well." Lydia said as she grasped the counter top's edge, "If she wasn't the empress, I would pound her to the ground." Lydia then punched the counter as tears fell from her eyes.

"I feel the same way you do," Veronica said, "I was never given the chance to tell Belle about me, but even if I did, I don't think she would still feel the same about me."

"This is why we're friends," Lydia said as she placed her cookies onto plates, "We know how each other is feeling. If you want my opinion, I don't think Adam would want me around if found out the truth as well. The least we can do is make sure that their lives are somewhat easier."

"True," Veronica said, "at least it will prove that we're doing our jobs as mothers."

* * *

As Veronica and Lydia talked with each other, Adam and Belle listened to their words. They couldn't believe that their mothers would think that they didn't want to accept them as magical beings.

"I can't believe that they would think that." Belle said.

"Neither can I." Adam said as he looked at Belle, "Just because they are different from everyone doesn't mean that we shouldn't accept them!"

"Uh...Adam, are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine, why do you ask?" he said.

"You are foaming at the mouth!" Belle pointed out, Adam didn't realize that he was.

"Sorry Belle." Adam said as he tried to clean up his mouth, "My mother's cookies have that effect on me. I haven't had them since she was gone, nobody could make them because the recipe was all in her head."

"Just like my mother's Rainbow Cake." she said, "Her recipe was also locked in her head, she never did like to write her ingredients down."

"What do you think we should do?" he asked.

"Meaning?"

"Should we go in there and have them see us with their own eyes?"

Belle didn't say anything when Adam asked that, even she didn't know what they should do.

"I...I...I don't know what to do." was all Belle could say. Nobody could really blame her or Adam, they've been thinking that their mothers have been dead only to find out that they were brought back from the dead.

"Belle, I do know this," Adam softly said, Belle looked straight into his eyes, "no matter what happens in the future, I'll always love you and nothing will be able to change that." Belle didn't blink when Adam said that to her, but tears formed in her eyes and slid down her cheek. He raised his right hand and placed it on her left cheek; using his thumb to wipe her tears away. Belle felt the same tightness in her heart whenever Adam was near her. She closed her eyes and held his forearm.

Suddenly, Belle's eyes snapped open! Adam could see that they were full of pain. Her hands quickly moved from his forearm to her mouth. She was also making muffled squeals.

"Belle, what's wrong?" Adam asked worried. Belle wouldn't say anything, he could tell that she was in a lot of pain as she continued to make those muffled squeals and grabbed a hold of the kitchen door handle. Just then, the door was yanked open with Belle still holding the handle!

* * *

As for Veronica and Lydia, they were busy talking to each other while Veronica was still frosting her cake and Lydia was putting a cover over her platter of cookies.

Lydia looked over at Veronica, her eyes were changing into different colors of the rainbow.

"You sense something, don't you?" Lydia asked.

"Do you?" Veronica asked.

"Yes," Lydia answered as purple and blue quills spiked out of her red hair, "and whoever it is that we're sensing, he or she is behind that door." Lydia pointed at the door where Belle and Adam were hiding behind.

"Then let's find out who it is." Veronica said as she sat the frosting and knife down on the counter. Lydia wasn't known for being patient, she went over to the door quicker than Veronica sat her knife down. "Wait Lydia! You don't know who's...!"

Too late, as soon as Lydia got to the door, spikes and quills came out of her hand and she punched the door. There were muffled squeals coming from the other side of the door. When she pulled her hand out, there were six quills stuck through the door.

"Lydia! You dummy!" Veronica almost shouted, she had a hard time trying to keep her voice down because of Lydia, but she had to in order to keep the servants waking up in the middle of the night. Veronica quickly went over to the door and opened it. When she did, she couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her.

When Veronica opened the door, Belle was standing against the door with her hand over her mouth and her other hand grasping the door handle. Her face was full of pain at first, then it was shock when Belle saw her mother. When Veronica saw that it was her own daughter that was against the door, her eyes wandered down to where the quills punctured the kitchen door. It turns out the purple and blue quills went through the door and stuck themselves into Belle's right hip. Veronica covered her mouth, with both hands, in shock!

"Belle?" Veronica said, Belle still didn't say anything, she wouldn't even move. All she could think about was the pain of the quills in her hip. When Veronica said her daughter's name, Lydia knew that Veronica was going to be angry with her.

"Veronica, I-I-I didn't mean...it was..." Before Lydia could say anything else, Veronica turned around and punched Lydia in the mouth so hard that she stumbled backwards and fell. Adam saw and heard everything, he wasn't sure whether to go to his mother than he hadn't see in so long or go over to Belle was in pain by the quills his mother put in the door.

"You...'spiked' my baby!" Veronica said angrily to Lydia; she quickly turned her attention to Belle, not realizing that it's been many years since Belle had seen her. "Belle, are you in any pain?" All Belle did was raise her hand when her mother was trying to get close to her. That's when Veronica remembered that Belle thought she was dead and haven't seen her in years.

"Seems like Lady Temps was telling you the truth, Adam." Belle said with pain in her voice.

"Adam?" Lydia asked holding her jaw from Veronica hitting her. Adam knew he couldn't hide behind the door anymore; he came out from behind the other kitchen door. When Lydia saw her son, she couldn't believe how much he had grown. As for Adam, he didn't know what to think, Lydia wasn't like the mother than Adam remembered. "You've grown." Lydia said, still holding her jaw.

"I'm not the only one who's changed." Adam said as he got closer to Belle.

"I know," she said, "I have some explaining to do."

"Both of you." Belle said, still in pain, "But first, you need to help me get off the door."

"You're going to help me, Lydia!" Veronica said angrily.

"I will!" Lydia said as she went around the other side of the door. "We need something slippery in order to get Belle out of this mess, These quills are stuck in the door."

"Will this work?" Veronica said as she pulled a red bottle out of her robes.

"Veronica, that's your special forest soap!" Lydia said.

"I would rather give up my special soap than see my little girl in pain!" Veronica urged, Adam could see how nervous or scared his mother was while talking with Veronica. He couldn't blame her after she accidentally put her quills in Belle and got her stuck on the door. Veronica poured a green liquid out of the bottle and onto her hands. She rubbed it on both sides the door, where the quills went in and out the door. Veronica also placed some on her daughter's hip, just in case.

"I think this is enough," Lydia said, "Veronica, you and Adam help pull Belle out of the door. I'll hold onto the door to make sure she'll come out."

"Wait." Belle said painfully, "What if I scream when pulling me off? The servants will hear what's going on."

"Put this in your mouth." Adam said as he pulled out a handkerchief, "With something in your mouth, you'll be able to muffle the screams. Once you're in less pain or when you're off the door, we'll...or you can remove it." Veronica could sense the kindness in Adam's words, but she could also sense the love between him and her daughter. She made a small smile about it, but she quickly put her attention back on the situation.

"Are we ready?" Lydia asked. Belle took the handkerchief, wrapped it into a ball and put it in her mouth. Belle nodded her head to show that she was ready. Veronica wrapped her arms around Belle's waist and Adam just held Belle like he would usually would...when they were hugging each other. Belle just laid her hands on his chest and held onto his white shirt. Lydia could see that her best friend's daughter was holding onto her son's shirt. She didn't know what to think about that, she'll take care of it when she get's Belle off the door. Lydia spoke;

"Okay...one,...two,...three!"

* * *

_Painful, huh?_


	23. Chapter 23

"Ouch!"

"I know it hurts, Belle, but just hang on a few more minutes!"

Veronica, Lydia and Adam were able to remove Belle from the kitchen door. When they did, Belle was in a lot of pain because of movement of the quills. The good news was that two of the quills were left in the door, but the bad news...four quills remained in Belle's left hip. Veronica carried Belle out to the parlor, where Adam met Maurice when they first met. Lydia and Adam followed them into the parlor. Veronica wouldn't let them near Belle until she was feeling better. Veronica had managed to only remove one of the quills so far.

"Don't touch." Belle said, it was painful removing the quills in her right hip.

"Belle, we need to remove these or you're going to have an infection!" Veronica said.

"Will you keep it down!" Lydia urged, "Do you want to attract attention from the sleeping servants!"

"You're the one who got my daughter into this mess!" Veronica urged.

"Would the two of you knock it off!" Adam said. Veronica and Lydia turned to see Adam staring at them with a serious look. They were more surprised to see Belle raising her left hand and grabbing Adam's left hand. That's when Lydia saw her rose diamond ring on Belle's hand, she didn't know what to think.

"Veronica, I need to talk to you in private." Lydia said.

"Can't it wait?" Veronica asked, "My poor daughter is in pain."

"No, it can't wait!" Lydia said as she grabbed her friend's sleeve and dragged her out of the room.

"Thank you, Adam." Belle softly said. Adam just smiled at her and got on his knees.

"And I thought it would be nice to have them back." Adam said.

"Neither of us were expecting this." Belle said, "I think they didn't expect us to be right behind the door either."

"I am sorry that this happened." He said, "As far as I knew my mother, she wasn't this...protective of herself."

"Accidents happen." Belle said as she smiled. Adam adored the Belle's smile because he always felt that her smile was for her. He looked back at the quills that remained in Belle's right hip.

"Let's see if _I_ can remove the quills." Adam said as he stood up.

"Please be gentle." Belle said as she held a pillow, that she had been holding onto ever since they got into the parlor.

"As you said to me one time," he said, "hold still." Belle remembered telling Adam that when he saved her from the wolves when he was still a beast. She didn't move a single inch as Adam gently held onto one of the quills.

* * *

After dragging Veronica out of the parlor, Lydia released her sleeve. She couldn't believe that she saw _her_ son sticking up for her best friend's daughter!

"What's with dragging me out like that?" Veronica asked as she looked at her sleeves, to see if Lydia ripped them.

"Did you see that?" Lydia asked.

"See what?" Veronica asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Veronica." Lydia said, "Your daughter grabbed a hold on my son's hand and...he held it back." Veronica heard a little disappointment in her friend's voice. She could sense what this was heading towards.

"You're thinking...my daughter...your son?" Veronica asked, but she could see the answer in Lydia's blue eyes.

"You saw the way they were when we first saw them." Lydia explained, "My son going over to your daughter rather over to me."

"I...somewhat understand what you're feeling, Lydia." Veronica said, "But they're now grown up."

"That's a bad excuse to make me feel better." Lydia pointed out; Veronica knew that it was, but she didn't know what else to say to her. "You saw it! You saw how your daughter is acting towards my son!" Lydia saw Veronica put her head down, that's when Lydia saw what Veronica truly felt about her daughter being with Adam. "I'm sorry, Veronica. I shouldn't have sound so...so..."

"Serious? Honest?" Veronica said.

"I guess those would be the words I was trying to look for." Lydia said, "I think seeing them together gave us both a shock."

"You're right." Veronica said, "I think just seeing them was enough to shock us."

"Belle's wearing a ring." Lydia said, Veronica shot her head up and looked straight at Lydia's eyes. "It's my rose diamond ring."

"Hmm, you're thinking your son proposed to my daughter?" Veronica asked.

"Adam knows how precious that ring was to me," Lydia explained. "He wouldn't give that ring to someone else unless..." She couldn't say anything else, but Veronica could sense what she was feeling.

"Another job of being a mother," Veronica said, "is making sure that their child is happy. This...did come to a surprise to us, but..." she looked at the door of the parlor, "if they're happy together, then we shouldn't get in the way of it." Lydia listened to her friend's words, she knew that Veronica was right. She took a few deep breaths, hoping it would calm her down and make her feel better. "Lydia, you've always had a hard time calming down, so I expect you to take your time."

"I'm fine now." Lydia said, "Let's go back in there, without arguing. I know Belle's waiting on us." Veronica smiled, to show that she was no longer angry with her.

* * *

Veronica and Lydia walked back in the parlor, Belle was still lying on her right side on the couch while Adam was sitting his armchair across from her. Both of them were surprised that their mothers came back, especially Adam. When he raised his voice and his mother and to Belle's mother, he felt bad about it.

As for the two women, they tried to keep their surprise and shock hidden. Veronica went over to Belle, but to her surprise, the quills were gone and there was a small pillow on the area where the quills were. Veronica removed the pillow to see the damage, there were four holes that the quills had made.

"It doesn't look like you're bleeding." Veronica said as she went over to a little table. She waved her hands, sparkles appeared on the tabletop and bandages and a blue medicine bottle appeared on the table. Veronica gave the bottle to Lydia; she went over to Belle and squeezed the bottle. The bottle squirted a orange liquid on Lydia's left hand, she rubbed the liquid over the puncture areas, Belle flinched from the medicine having its affect on the area.

"This will hurt for a while," Veronica said, "but you'll be healed in a matter of hours." Veronica took the white bandages as Adam helped Belle sit up. Veronica wrapped the bandages around her daughter's waist. Adam kept his eyes away from Belle's injury, to show respect for her (and her mother). Veronica was a little surprised that Adam was trying not to look at Belle's injury, but she can sense that Adam didn't want to offend her or her daughter.

"All done." Veronica said as she tied a knot in the bandage, Belle just stared at her mother.

"Thank you." Belle said, she still had a hard time believing that she was staring at her own mother. "It's been years since I said that to you." When Belle said that, Veronica _and Lydia_ dropped their heads.

"I know," Veronica said in a sad voice, "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you the truth when you were a child."

"And I'm sorry, Adam." Lydia said, Adam was a little surprised. Why was she apologizing?

"What for?" Adam said.

"Same reason Veronica said," she explained, "in fact, neither of us should've kept the truth from the two of you."

"But we kept it from you because we didn't think you would believe us," Veronica explained, "also because we had a big duty to protect the Clarinet of Life."

"We didn't want your lives to get in the way." Lydia said, "We also didn't want to lose you...even though both your father are human."

"Lydia, don't say it like that." Veronica said.

"Can you not blame me?"

"No," Veronica answered, "but I don't want Belle to start thinking."

"About what?" Belle asked, Lydia just slapped her forehead and covered her eyes. Adam leaned in and whispered in Belle's ear.

"Remember what I told you about my father? That's what she's referring to." Belle's eyes shrunk a little, she remembered that Adam told her that his father was abusive and controlling.

"Lady Lydia," Belle said, "I'm not thinking anything about that. I would rather not." Adam and Lydia looked at Belle and then to each other.

"You definitely know when not to ask questions." Lydia said to Belle, "Your mother raised you well, your father probably did too."

"They did," Adam said, "I should know from experience."

"What do you mean by that?" Lydia asked.

"Something that I'm not going to tell you." Adam said, Belle was a little surprised. Why didn't he want his mother to know about the curse?

Adam didn't want to tell his mother anything about his curse because of what she told him before she 'died'. Before Lydia was taken from him, she said that no matter what he did in life, he would never, never ever, disappoint her. Adam felt that he probably had when he closed off his heart to everybody and became cursed to become a beast.

"You were CURSED?" Lydia asked in shock, Adam's eyes shrunk, how did she know?

"How did you...?"

"I usually don't like to use my mind-reading powers," Lydia explained, "but I had to use them this time. You were cursed?"

"Belle, please leave." Adam asked, "This is something I need to talk to her...alone." Belle nodded, got up and left the parlor. Veronica was surprised that Belle did that, as far as she knew about her daughter, Belle wouldn't leave things alone...unless it had a good reason.

"Veronica, you too." Lydia said, Veronica looked at her friend. "Go. Shoo!" Veronica jumped like a startled cat and followed her daughter. Adam was now alone in the parlor with his mother. How was he going to explain it to her?

* * *

_One more or two more chapters. It will be a while to put up the next chapter, I'm suffering from writer's block for the next chapter. _


	24. Chapter 24

"I can't believe it!" Lydia said, "You were cursed?"

"Mother," Adam said as he threw a pillow at Lydia's mouth, "are you trying to wake up the whole castle?!" She grabbed the pillow and tried to calm down.

"You...have...some explaining to do." Lydia said, taking deep breaths. "My only child...my baby...is a victim of a spell?" Adam made a face when his mother said 'my baby'. Lydia looked at her son, she saw the look he made. "Don't give me that look. I don't care if you are two years old or 20 years old, you're still my baby."

"21, mother." Adam said, "I'm twenty-one."

"Hmm, you're right, I was off one year." Lydia corrected, "But don't think I'm going to forget that you were cursed."

"I don't want to talk about it," Adam said, turning his back at his mother. "You'll be disappointed." At first, Lydia was a little confused about what Adam said.

"Is it because of what I told you on your ninth birthday?" Adam was a little surprised, he didn't think that she would remember that. "I should be getting used to that look you're giving me, but I'm not liking it."

"How do you think I feel knowing that you have all these powers?" He said, Lydia didn't expect that, but her son did have a point.

"You have a point about that, Adam," she said, "but how do you think I'm feeling knowing that you were cursed?"

"I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't want to talk about it and...you already guessed why!" Adam said as he turned his back at his mother again. Lydia didn't think what she said, on his ninth birthday, would have such an effect on Adam. She knew that she had to drop her sorceress attitude and start acting like his mother.

"Adam, at least give me an idea about what happened." Lydia calmly said, Adam looked back at her. It was when Lydia was calmly talking did he know that she was trying to act like she used to back then.

"Just promise me one thing." Adam said as he turned back at his mother, "don't lose your own temper while I'm trying to tell you."

"Done then." Lydia said as she sat down on the couch where Belle was lying on. Adam went back to his armchair and thought about how he can talk about this...a second time. He took a few deep breaths as the past started to haunt him again.

"You know very well how hard it was when I lost you." Adam said, his mother nodded 'yes'. "I didn't see the point of living after you were gone."

"Considering what..._he_...had done to you, I don't blame you at all." Lydia added, Adam knew that she was talking about his father. He was such a painful memory that nobody was allowed to say his name in front of Adam or Lydia.

"I closed off my heart, I didn't want it to be touched again." He continued to say, Lydia just listened, she didn't say another word after what she said. "I was afraid and...sad...that if anyone that was able to touch it...I was going to lose them as fast as I lost you. But because I made that choice...I became bitter and cold inside...I became selfish and unkind. Cogsworth thought that spoiling me to death was going to help...all it did was make me worse."

"I ask them to do simple things and...they did this to you." Lydia spoke up, red spikes and quills were starting to appear out of her hair. "After everything that you've been through with...'us'..." Lydia shuddered when she said 'us'. "That pompous clock! *sigh* What else did he do?" Adam could tell that she was getting angry, but she was trying to control her own anger.

"Hmm, well, I also had my education stopped, Cogsworth was too worried about me being so cold that I stopped learning...even I didn't have the energy to learn anymore...I was just too heartbroken. *exhale*" It was becoming harder for Adam to keep going, Lydia could sense it. She could use her mind-reading powers, but she didn't want to do that to her son again. "Two years of you being gone was very difficult, I...was difficult because...I couldn't be happy anymore. I also didn't to be reminded of you because that made me more of...a brat...than anything else. That Christmas night...I demanded presents...I was tired of being heartbroken and my heart being so cold. Someone knocked on the door, I wasn't too trilled about it. There was an old woman who wanted shelter and she was willing to give me a rose for it. All the rose did was reminded me of you...because your hair was beautiful and red as the rose. So...I turned her away and closed the door. The door flew open and...and..." Adam was starting to have a flashback, he couldn't speak. As much as Lydia didn't want to do it, she read his mind again and saw the flashback.

Lydia saw what was at the door, Rouge, saying that Adam was deceived by his cold heart. She saw what Rouge did to her son. When she saw her son become a beast, Lydia stopped reading his mind and shook her son. "Adam! Adam!"

Adam snapped back into reality, he was starting to sweat because of the nightmare he endured for so long. A handkerchief appeared in Lydia's hand and she gave it to him. Adam took it and wiped his neck and forehead, Lydia could see the fear in Adam's face. She was very angry that she found out that Rouge, her other friend, placed a curse on her son.

"Rouge did that to you?" Lydia asked.

"Yes," Adam answered, "I was stuck in that form for ten long years. She said the only way to break the spell was to fall in love and earn her love in return before the last petal on the rose fell." Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the parlor door.

"Lydia, is everything okay?" It was Veronica's voice.

"Everything's okay, Veronica." Lydia answered, "Go back to your daughter." They heard departing footsteps and didn't hear anything else.

"Is that why Belle is with you?" Lydia asked gently, Adam snapped his head up and his eyes were staring right at hers.

"I don't care if you or her mother don't agree with it, I love her. She was the only person that helped me to love again." Lydia was a little surprised, she was expecting the answer, but not in the tone that he gave her.

"Calm down, son, I didn't mean the way I asked. I meant to ask in a simple question. But I guess I already have that answer when I saw my rose ring on her hand."

"I know that your rose ring was precious to you, but Belle is just as precious to me as you are." Adam said, Lydia just smiled.

"So my son asked her a certain question?"

"I did...she said yes." Lydia just grabbed her son and hugged him. Adam continues to be surprised, he thought that his mother wouldn't approve of Belle, but he was wrong. "Mother, you...need to let go. You're beginning to...hurt me."

"Oops, sorry." Lydia said as she released Adam.

"Rouge said you were strong, but I wasn't expecting you to be that strong." Adam said.

"Rouge told you about us?"

"She didn't even know that I was your son until she told me about you and when I told her."

"I'm going to hurt her so badly." Lydia said as purple spikes came out of her arms.

"Mother, don't!" Adam said, Lydia couldn't believe what she heard. "If it wasn't for her...I think...I would be like my father right now."

"You'll never be like him, but because you, my son, asked me to, I won't harm Rouge." Lydia said, crossing her arms. "For now anyway."

"Rouge told me about your past, it explains why you never spoke about it."

"You know your mother, I like to get my point across. I'll tell you more about it when the time comes. There...is something else that I have to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Adam asked, but Lydia shook her head.

"It can wait a little while longer, right now, let's go back to Belle and Veronica. We can't let them get out of our lives now." Adam smiled at his mother and they left the parlor.

* * *

_Okay readers, next chapter, I think, will be the last one. It will also include Belle talking with her mother while Adam talks with his. I'm also going through college so...bear with me and try to be patient.  
_


	25. Chapter 25

"Veronica, you too." Lydia said, Veronica looked at her friend. "Go. Shoo!" Veronica jumped like a startled cat, went out of the room and closed the door. She saw her daughter, just staring at her.

"Belle, what is it?"

"I still can't believe that you're standing right in front of me." Belle answered as she walked back towards the kitchen. Veronica sighed and followed her daughter.

"I know that you're frustrated with me over this." Veronica said as they entered the kitchen.

"I'm not frustrated." Belle said, "I'm more confused than anything else. If you've been alive ever since Lady Temps brought you back, why didn't you reappear? Why weren't you...well either of you...there for us?" Veronica knew that question was coming.

"I know it's not a good excuse," Veronica said as she cut up her Rainbow cake that she made earlier, "but it is the truth. When we were brought back from the grave, we didn't remember anything." Belle's eyes widen.

"How could you not remember?" Belle asked.

"Lady Temps removed all our memories of our lives in the human world," Veronica added, "She didn't even allow us to go back there. It still makes me angry knowing that she did that to us." Veronica's hair and eyes turned red as she started getting angry about having her memories of her family taken.

"How were you able to remember us?" Belle asked, Veronica's eyes and hair went from red to blue when her daughter asked that.

"*exhale* When Fiona blew into the Clarinet of Life, everyone in the world of magic or who lives there was thrown into a cell...including me and Lydia."

"You were there?" Belle asked.

"We were," Veronica answered, "it wasn't until I saw you playing the Clarinet did the spell Lady Temps put on us wore off. I saw you, Lydia saw Adam and our memories of the two of you returned, but before we could do anything, the magic from the Clarinet took us back home. Lydia and I discussed about being back into your lives, despite that we were nervous and scared about how the two of you would react."

"Even though you don't look like the woman you used to be...I know you're still my mother." Belle said, "This isn't the first time that I've seen such powerful magic." Veronica shot her head up when she heard that.

"When was the first time?" she asked.

"I can't tell you," Belle said, Veronica was a little confused about why her daughter wouldn't tell her anything about magic, "I made a promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I taught you too well about keeping your word." Veronica said as she crossed her arms.

"Well if you hadn't taught me how to play the clarinet, Fiona would still be doing trouble." Belle said, trying to get her point across.

'Yes, my dear daughter, I taught you everything you know. But...I am sorry that you had to find out about me this way."

"It was hard for us...when you were gone. I don't know who was more heart-broken...me or papa. In fact, he was so upset that he couldn't live the house that he built for you." Veronica's face dropped and she slapped her forehead.

"The very house that I had you in and you grew up in?" Veronica asked, "*groan* What else did he do when 'I left'?"

"We moved out of the house and we moved into a different village." Belle said as she crossed her arms, it was still a hurtful reminder that the village didn't accept her. But it was more hurtful remembering what Gaston put her through ever since they met!

"By the look on your face," Veronica added, "you didn't like the village the two of you moved to."

"Nobody accepted me and papa for who we were."

"Meaning?" Veronica asked.

"They called me odd because I enjoyed reading and called papa crazy because of his inventions." Belle explained, "Everyone in the village would rather deal with their looks and trying to find a husband."

"*scoff* I don't believe it. You odd and Maurice crazy? The only ones who are crazy...are those villagers! Looks aren't important unless you have the smarts to use them." Belle was about to speak again until she saw her mother's eyes turn pink. In fact, every time Belle sees Veronica's eyes turn different colors, it always bothered her.

"Mother, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I hear Lydia, I'm going to check on her." Veronica answered, she went to the kitchen door and went back to the parlor. Belle stayed in the kitchen, wondering what may happen later in the future. Now that she remembered the village, she also remembered that all her belongings and her father's inventions were still at their cottage at the village. Belle really didn't want to leave Adam, but she also wanted to prove that she wanted to make her stay at the castle permanent. True, Belle proved it when she agreed to marry Adam, but she would still want her books in the library and her father to continue working on his inventions. Belle was still deep in her thoughts when her mother came back into the kitchen.

"Is Lydia all right?" Belle asked.

"She is," Veronica answered, "she just said everything's fine. Anyway, back to what we were talking about, I can't believe some people!" Belle wasn't listening, her thoughts was plaguing her mind. When Veronica noticed that her daughter wasn't listening to a word she said, she snapped her fingers in front of Belle's face. Belle snapped back into reality when her mother snapped her fingers. Veronica had a sly smile on her face when her daughter's face was turning pink.

"Sorry mother, I didn't hear what you said." Belle said, Veronica replied with a sing-song voice.

"My darling daughter has her head in the clouds."

"Don't say that again!" Belle quickly said, Veronica was surprised. Belle couldn't believe she said that to her mother. "I'm sorry mama, but everyone in the village always said that under their breath when I was reading in the village." Veronica felt bad, she didn't mean to make her daughter upset.

"I'm sorry, Belle," Veronica said, "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know you didn't, I was still thinking about all the things that are still in the cottage, including the chickens and goats that are there. I left their feed open, but they must be getting low on food. I couldn't go to check on them because..."

"Of the spell that Celia put you under?" Veronica guessed.

"Yes, if you were animal, would you be scared of a giant-sized bird or bat?" Belle asked.

"You have a point, my dear daughter," Veronica said, "I can feed them in the morning if you want, make sure they're not dead."

"You don't know where it is." Belle said, Veronica reached into her left sleeve and pulled out a hand mirror. It looked similar to the mirror Rouge gave to Adam, but the one Veronica pulled out was a little bigger and was decorated with glass clouds. Veronica turned the mirror around and Belle saw, in the glass, her old home. Everything was still in the way she and her father left it; the waterwheel was still turning, the wind device that her father put on the top of the cottage was still there and the goats and chickens were sleeping in their pens.

"At least you know nothing's been touched." Veronica said.

"Where did you get this?" Belle asked.

"We can change any plain old mirror into a magical one like this one. We have the magic, even you." Veronica added.

"Me?" Belle said surprised, "How can I...?"

"You're my daughter." Veronica said, "In fact, since you and Adam are the children of sorceresses, both of you have the choice to learn to become a sorceress or remain being human. Both of you have that choice since you have one parent that's human and the other parent is a sorcerer or sorceress. But I will be honest, you also have a certain amount of time to make that decision."

"What happens if we don't make up our mind?" Belle asked.

"Then your body makes the decision for you," Veronica answered, "whether you like it or not. You still have some time before that happens though." Belle couldn't believe what she heard, become a sorceress like her mother or remain human like her father.

"I don't know what to say." Belle said with a little smile.

"Say what?" asked a male voice. Veronica turned around and Belle looked behind her mother; Adam and Lydia just came into the kitchen. "Say what, Belle?" Adam asked again. Belle looked at her mother, Veronica could tell in Lydia's eyes that she didn't tell Adam what Veronica told Belle. Veronica whispered in her daughter's ear not to tell Adam anything yet.

"I'll discuss it later, Adam." Belle said.

"All right." He said, Belle had her eyes on Lydia. She was very nervous around her because she's Adam's mother and, considering what she did earlier, she was somewhat fearful of her.

"Belle, why are you staring at me like that?" Lydia asked, Belle didn't say anything. She just quickly went behind her mother, Veronica was sensing some fear coming from her daughter. She was afraid that Belle would become fearful towards Lydia because of what she did to Belle. Veronica grabbed Lydia's hair, pulled her to outside the kitchen door and whispered in her ear.

Adam was a little surprised to see Belle's mother do that his mother, but when he looked at Belle, he saw that she was starting to shake. He was concerned about Belle.

"Belle, what's wrong?" Adam asked, "I've never seen you shake like that before."

"I don't want to be mean about it," Belle said, "but I'm a little fearful of your mother." Adam wasn't too surprised. Back then, Lydia was known for scaring people because she was very protective. Belle then placed her left hand on her right hip, she felt the bandage around her waist from Lydia putting her quills in her.

"You're not the first person," Adam said, "but I'm going to make sure she doesn't do anything like that again." Just then, Veronica and Lydia walked back inside the kitchen.

"You know," Lydia said, rubbing the back of her neck, "it would be a shame to let these cookies and cake go to waste."

* * *

_Okay, I was wrong. Next chapter is the last one. Does Lydia remind you of anyone? Hee-hee!  
_


	26. Chapter 26

The four of them took the Rainbow cake, the double chocolate chunk and sweet sugar cookies back to the parlor and dived into them.

"I forgot good your baking was, mother." Adam said before he bit into a chocolate chunk cookie.

"Thank you son." Lydia said, then she looked at Belle. "What do you think, Belle?"

"Really sweet." Belle said since she bit into a sweet sugar cookie, "Maybe a little too sweet."

"Hmm, I must've put too much sugar in than I thought." Lydia thought.

"They seems fine to me," Veronica said, "but Belle was known for not liking foods that have a lot of sugar."

"Mother!" Belle said, she was a little embarrassed when her mother said that...because she knew it was true.

"I'm doing what all mothers do." Veronica added, "Embarrass their kids." Belle was about to say something else, but she tried to control herself, she was around Adam and his mother. The last thing she wanted to do was act like a child. Lydia could sense how embarrassed Belle was, so she decided to even the score.

"Come to think of it," she said, "Adam loved sugar as a child, he just didn't like things that have salt in them." Just like Belle, Adam was a little embarrassed... because he knew that was true. He was about to add something, but...he didn't. Adam didn't want to sound like the spoiled child he became long ago. In fact, the last thing Adam was to do was act like the...monster...that made him become such a beast.

"I guess what they say is true," Veronica spoke, "opposites _do _attract."

"We just wanted to have a little fun with the two of you." Lydia said, "We hope we don't push any buttons or anything make the two of you upset."

"We'll make sure that you won't," Adam said, "right, Belle?"

"Of course." She said, but her eyes were focused on the clock. "Adam, I think that clock's broken."

"It's not broken." Veronica said.

"I think it is," Belle added, "it's saying 1:20 AM, but we've been talking to you for a long time, at least...an hour or hour and a half." Veronica made another sly smile, Belle knew whenever her mother did that smile, she did something. "Mother, what did you do?"

"I'm not surprised that you would ask that. It's usually the first thing you ask when something is wrong and I'm in the room."

"It usually results to you doing something." Belle urged, Veronica nodded her head.

"You're right," she answered, "It usually does involve me doing something and I did...I slowed down time."

"You did what?" Adam asked.

"Both of you heard me," Veronica said, "I slowed down time, seconds are now minutes and minutes are hours."

"Veronica, we need to be careful with that kind of power." Lydia added, "Lady Temps will really upset if something happens with time because..."

"I know, I know," Veronica said, thinking Lydia was becoming a pain, "She's the only one who could fix it if we don't put it back. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, Lady Temps told us both how to harness the power of time."

"Hey, we're still here." Belle said, Veronica and Lydia looked back at Adam and Belle.

"Sorry." Lydia said.

"This kind of thing happens a lot." Veronica added.

"This might be an...assumption," Adam said, "but by the way the two of you act, it seems you know each other very well."

"We do," Lydia said, "Veronica and I have been friends since we were...fourteen."

"Thirteen, Lydia, we were thirteen when we met." Veronica said, Lydia groaned.

"My memory is still giving me problems."

"How exactly did you meet?" Belle asked.

"I bumped into a boy that I knew when I was walking home." Veronica explained, "He was stalking me for a few months. He was a year older than me and going through what every teenage boy goes through. Anyway, he continued to stalk me until he couldn't control himself, he...grabbed me and pulled me into an alley. I knew what he was trying to do. I could tell that he was drunk as well, just from his breath and...the look in his eyes."

"He...he was trying to...?" Belle stammered.

"Yep," Lydia answered, she knew it was a hard subject for Veronica to talk about, "I heard Veronica screaming. I ran into the alley, saw Veronica screaming for help and tackled the boy. He tried fighting me back, but everyone knows that if you mess with a porcupine, you'll get covered in quills. After beating him, he ran off with...*laugh*...quills stuck in his rear. *laugh* I know I shouldn't laugh, but he deserved it."

"After that incident," Veronica continued, "we slowly started getting to know each other. I would go to Lydia's fights and watch her defeat anyone who challenged her."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Adam said, "but why did you fight with others, mother?"

"Hmm, 'why did I fight'?" Lydia repeated, "Well, my family was having a hard time making money. Even though there were other ways, I didn't want to choose a stupid way. That's why I chose to fight. Another reason I fought was to prove that women can be as tough as men, if not tougher."

"Belle's defiantly tougher than me." Adam said, Belle smiled and shook her head.

"But then, how did you meet Rouge?" Belle asked, "She said that the two of you were her 'best friends'."

"Rouge was someone who could tell a believable story." Lydia said.

"Are you saying that she lied?" Belle asked.

"Nope, she didn't lie." Lydia explained, "I'm just saying she can tell you anything and you'll be believing it. That's how we met her, she loved making stories up. She mostly did that to bring smiles to sick children. Veronica and I were planning to gather toys for children who were down on their luck."

"We were gathering toys for children because it was near Christmas." Veronica added, "We knocked on doors to see if anyone had any toys they didn't want anymore. Once we gathered all the toys, we worked together to make them new again. That's how we met Rouge, she had a similar plan, but instead she made her own toys. She also made her own little books, which every kid really wanted. So when we saw much the kids love Rouge's little books, we asked Rouge to work with us."

"All the kids adored the toys and stories we dropped off at their homes," Lydia said, "but there was one child where all three of us had to work together to get it to her."

"Was she special?" Adam asked.

"She was." Veronica answered, "Her name was Anna, she was really sick and all she wanted was a toy Noah's ark for Christmas. Not only was she sick, her family was living on bare bones. We did have the power to help them, but we had to be careful that nobody saw us. We all worked together to make the ark, but Rouge also wrote down the story of the ark for Anna."

"We decided to give her and her family a little more." Said Lydia. "We also gave them enough money to last until they find a job they can keep. When the three of us saw Anna and her family's reaction, it was worth all our work."

"That was a wonderful story." Belle said, Adam didn't say anything. He just wiped a tear off his face. Adam knew Rouge was gracious, when the spell was broken, but hearing the story of Anna; he learned more about things and people aren't always what they seemed.

"All three of us became close friends after that." Veronica added, "Before we decided to live in the human world." Belle and Adam knew why they choose to stay here, but they didn't say anything, they didn't want their horrible past to mess up their happy mood right now.

"So...what do the two of you plan to do now?" Belle asked, "Do you plan to stay here or do you plan to go back to the world of magic?"

"Hmm, we were talking about that earlier," Veronica said, "when I dragged her out of the kitchen, we defiantly want to be in your lives."

"But we don't know how we're going to do that." Lydia added, "Mainly because of the servants."

"But we will be here for you," Veronica said, "we defiantly want to see your wedding. We'll make sure of it." She closed her green eyes as she reached into her sleeve. She opened her eyes when she pulled something out and placed it in her daughter's hands. Belle saw that it was a stone in every color of the rainbow.

"To make sure I keep my own word," she said, "wear this stone as a necklace or a bracelet. Whenever you need me, just hold it in your hands and wish to see me. I'll be there." Belle stared at the rainbow stone, then looked at her mother. Then, out of nowhere, Belle jumped on Veronica, the same way a child would jump and hug its mother. At first, Adam and Lydia were surprised, but they saw the relaxed look on Veronica's face as she hugged her daughter. Lydia smiled, grabbed her son's hand and took him into the hall.

"Son, I hope you don't think of me any different."

"I don't," Adam said, "you still act like the woman I always knew...a little more unpredictable, but you're still the same."

"I'm going to make sure that I keep my promise." Lydia grabbed something around her neck and removed it. It was a necklace with a black stone. The black stone had a porcupine quill at the bottom. "I want you to keep this, if you need me, just hold it in your hands and wish to see me. I'll be here." The necklace hanged from Lydia's fingers as the stone dangled back and forth. Adam looked at it and took the necklace out of his mother's hand.

"I'll make sure I won't lose it." Adam said.

"I know you won't," Lydia said, "now, get yourself and your bride to bed. Both of you need your rest. Especially with the two of you have been through. We'll deal with the dishes we made...and, now that I remembered it, I'll make sure that Veronica puts time back on its track." Adam chuckled at that remark, they walked back into the parlor. Veronica and Belle stood up from their seats.

"Come on, Veronica." Lydia said, "Our kids need their rest. We'll take care of the dishes and you better fix the time."

"I will!" Veronica said, "I will! I plan to put it back!"

"Let's go!" Lydia said. They headed towards the kitchen, but Lydia stopped in her tracks and looked at Adam. "You don't have to worry about the mess in your room. It's clean." Lydia then left and followed Veronica.

"Shall we head to bed?" Adam asked.

"Adam, this may sound silly," Belle said, "may I spend the night with you?" Adam wasn't expecting that question, but he knew that they would do that when they are married. Why not try it out now?

"That will be fine with me." Adam said, Belle smiled at the answer.

* * *

They walked up the stairs and stopped at Belle's room so that she could grab her nightgown. When they entered the west wing, Adam saw that his mother was telling the truth. It was no longer messy from when he was snatched by Fiona. Belle walked into the washroom to change into her nightgown. Adam started a small fire in the fireplace so that he and Belle will stay warm during the night. He then walked into his closet and changed into his pajamas as well. When Adam came out of his closet, he saw Belle was all bundled up in his bed. He smiled at the sight as he walked over to the bedroom door and locked it, so no one will disturb them. He then got into the bed himself. Adam looked at Belle's sleeping face with her hands on her pillow. He saw on her ring finger, the engagement ring with the rose stone. He placed his hand in hers and held it gently. Just then, even though she was asleep, Belle held his hand back and smiled. Adam smiled as well and closed his own eyes. All everyone can do is wait for the wedding and hope that the dreams of Adam and Belle having a little one of their own comes true.

* * *

_THE END! I hope everyone enjoyed my first story! Make sure that you keep your eyes open for my next story, 'The Enchanted Wedding'. t I hope that everyone who enjoys this story will enjoy the next one!  
_


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